Blood Ties
by cullen's pet
Summary: She winced as he pressed her against a tree, the bark digging painfully into her back. She shuddered as he pressed his nose against the column of her throat. She struggled ineffectually against his superior strength. He didn't even look like he was trying. "Hold still, Granger," he murmured against her neck. Dark vampire Draco. EDITED!
1. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I still don't own Harry Potter the last time I checked. I make no money from this story.

A/N: This is it folks. The last story that resulted from my DMHG Prompt Challenge. I wish that I could do this again in the future. I had a great time crafting a story to fit your prompts. Alas, it is not to be since this site doesn't allow interactive stories. I don't know why the hell not. What harm is there for a reader to be actively invested in a story? Oh well, maybe I'll figure out another way to get it accomplished. Anyway, here is the last story. Much darker than the other two, so be warned that this will be dark with an ending that might not appeal to all. This will work just as the other two, I will upload a chapter a day until complete with fifteen chapters in all and maybe an epilogue. I'm not sure yet on that score. Enjoy!

Hermione stumbled through the Forbidden Forrest muttering quietly to herself. "I don't know what Hagrid was thinking! How could he bring his brother here and chain him up? What in Merlin's beard was he thinking when he brought Harry and I to see him? He must be mental if he thinks I'm coming back in here to help teach him English!"

She huffed quietly to herself. That wasn't even the worst part. The worst part had been when Grawp broke his chain and picked her up carrying her deeper into the forest away from Hagrid and Harry. She had managed to get him to put her down but now she was lost. And alone. Grawp had ambled off after a flock of Diricawls he had disturbed.

It was too dangerous for her to call out. The forest was home to all manners of beasts and magical creatures. She fondly remembered her mother telling her about some of those things that go bump in the night when she was a small child.

She shuddered delicately as she stepped quietly through the brambles. Her mother had thought she was telling her fairytale stories. She would never forget her first trip to Gringott's. She couldn't help but stare at the Goblins. It had come as real shock to find out that most of the muggle monsters were real.

Of course, there weren't Goblins in the forest. But there were Acromantulas, Centaurs, Bowtruckles, Erklings, Quintapeds, Blast-Ended Skrewts, Trolls, Werewolves, Thestrals, and Vampires.

She stopped again and whispered a spell quietly, "Point me."

Her wand spun and finally pointed to her right. She was glad that she had spent so much time helping Harry research spells for the Tri-Wizard Tournament. That particular spell was coming in handy. It helped her keep her path pointed toward the castle.

She started off again but stopped abruptly when she heard a twig snap off to her left. She held her wand in front of her defensively as she scanned the darkness, her heart hammering wildly beneath her ribs.

She almost sighed with relief when Draco Malfoy emerged from the shadows. She lowered her wand as he stepped into the moonlight, his hair glinting in the dim light.

"Well, well, well," he drawled. "Isn't this a surprise? Goody Granger is off breaking school rules."

Her cheeks flushed at the accusation. He was right. The Forbidden Forest was off-limits to students. But technically Hagrid was a teacher and he brought her here.

She lifted her chin defiantly. "Sod off, Malfoy. I came in here with Hagrid. Last I checked he was a teacher. What are you doing here?"

He smirked as he drew closer. Something was off. He wouldn't normally come this close to her. She took a step back and he stopped once more. Finally, he raised a bag and said, "I was gathering moonflowers for Snape. Extra credit, you see."

She narrowed her eyes. She never got extra credit for Snape. "Oh, well, that's nice. I'll be going now." She turned and took one step before Malfoy was standing in her path once more. How had he moved so fast?

"Just a moment, Granger. I wanted to ask, are you wearing a new perfume? You smell very enticing this evening."

She looked at him incredulously. What was he playing at? "No, Malfoy, I'm not wearing any perfume. Now, kindly get out of my way. The forest is dangerous and I don't want to be in here anymore."

She moved to brush past his form but his arms snaked out and snagged her by the waist as she stepped around him. She barely contained her shriek. She didn't want to attract any attention from the forest life.

"What are you doing?" she hissed angrily. She raised her hand to slap him but he grabbed it before she even had the chance to swing. His hands were cold.

Ice cold.

She winced as he pressed her against a tree, the bark digging painfully into her back. She shuddered as he pressed his nose against the column of her throat. She struggled ineffectually against his superior strength. He didn't even look like he was trying.

"Hold still, Granger," he murmured against her neck.

"Let me go!" she snarled. "I don't know what kind of sick game this is but I don't want to play."

"This is no game, Mudblood," he replied, his tongue lapping against her skin.

She was horrified. She squirmed in his grasp as he nuzzled and sucked on her pulse point.

"Stop," she commanded weakly.

She could feel him smirk against her flesh. "I don't think you want me to stop, pet. I think you like what I'm doing to you."

She struggled harder as he pressed his body fully against hers and she felt his arousal press against her thigh. Tears stung her eyes as she tried in vain to escape.

"Bite me, Malfoy! Let me go!"

He pulled away just far enough to meet her eyes. What she saw terrified her. His eyes were red and she could just see the small fangs glinting in his mouth as he smiled a most terrifying smile.

"Don't mind if I do, Granger. Since you're offering."

End Note: Thoughts...? (I uploaded this a day early. I hope you don't mind. ; )


	2. Chapter 2

A/N: Thanks for the lovely reviews. I hope you enjoy chapter 2.

Hermione's scream died in her throat as his fangs sank into the unyielding flesh of her throat. She thrashed against his form as he pressed her harder against the trunk of the tree, drinking deeply from her.

Her eyes rolled back into her head as she clutched at his robe, her strength draining away from her as fast as he drained her of her blood. Draco Malfoy was a vampire. The knowledge hit her like a ton of bricks. How had no one known? How could he walk around in the sunlight?

She shuddered as he pressed his thigh against the vee between her thighs, pulling her closer to him. He had to stop, her was going to drain her dry.

"Malfoy," she whispered weakly. "S-Stop… you're going to kill me."

An animalistic growl erupted from his throat as he disengaged his fangs. His eyes were savage as he caught her gaze with his own. She thought his eyes had been red before, now they glowed eerily in the dark night.

"Maybe that's what I aim to do, Granger," he purred darkly, his voice sending vibrations through her chest. Hermione winced as he grasped her injured neck, turning it to the side he hadn't bitten.

"Please, Malfoy" she gasped, her breath coming in heaving pants. "I'm a filthy mudblood, remember? Surely my blood is too filthy for you to want."

"Ahhh…" he drawled deliberately. "Therein lies the irony, my precious mudblood. Theoretically, you should taste absolutely disgusting." He paused as his fingers caught a few drops of the sticky red fluid still oozing from his bite. He brought his fingers to his lips slowly and she could do nothing but stare at him transfixed as he savored her very life force. He groaned as he sucked the ruby substance from his fingers.

His eyes flashed open once more as he continued. "But you have the most delightful tasting blood. It's decadent in its flavor. It fills me like I've never been filled before. The question is why? How can your blood be so filthy and yet taste so good? I'm fairly new to this life, so there are a lot of things that I still have yet to learn."

Hermione pushed against him as his face descended to her throat once more. She didn't want to die. Not like this. "D-Don't," she pleaded. "It'll be hard to explain my death."

He chuckled as his tongue ran along her neck. "You overestimated there, love. You are all alone in the Forbidden Forrest. It is forbidden for a reason, you know. No one knows I was here with you. No one knows what I am, save for you and a few choice others. You're a liability and your disappearance can be easily explained."

Hermione's mind whirled quickly. He was right. She felt him tensing, ready to strike. "If you kill me, you can't have anymore of my blood!" she blurted. "What if I became your donor?" She winced as she thought of willingly giving the prat her blood but she was desperate. Otherwise, he would just drain her dry and leave her to rot.

"I'll- I'll trade," she stammered as he pulled back slightly. "I'll take the unbreakable vow. I'll let you feed and keep your secret, but you can't ever kill me and you can't let anyone know of our arrangement."

She gulped as he nuzzled her throat once more. Would he accept her offer or would he kill her where she stood? Nothing was more unpredictable than a vampire next to freely flowing blood.

And Merlin knew that she was still bleeding just mere inches from his nose. He was a shark and her blood was already in the water.

End Note: Tell me what you think! Where do you think this will end up? For those of you who remember this tale from my DMHG Prompt Challenge, don't give it away. I'll see you lovelies tomorrow...


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thanks for all the great and one not-so-great reviews. I appreciate them all.

Hermione stood against the tree as if she'd been petrified all over again. Malfoy was staring at her hard, his eyes hungry as his gaze returned to her neck time and time again. She trembled as his fingers brushed her hair back away from her wound.

"That is a very tempting offer, Granger," he purred as he licked her neck once more, capturing more of her precious fluid. "I'd be lying if I told you that I'm not interested. But how can I be sure that you will uphold your end of the bargain? As you well know, the unbreakable vow cannot be entered into with one of the undead."

Shit.

He figured her out immediately. He wasn't sorted into Slytherin for nothing.

"I-" she stammered. "I didn't think about it," she lied.

"Liar," he accused playfully, nipping her with his sharp teeth.

She squeaked fearfully and closed her eyes.

He smoothed her wild hair from her sweaty forehead. "I must confess that I'm impressed. That was a very Slytherin move. It might have worked on someone else. You're going to have to try harder, dearest. Even as intoxicating as your blood is, I can't afford to take chances."

She cleared her throat. Her fear was choking her. "What- what if I swear on honor as a witch? I will keep your secret and be a willing donor unless it is a detriment to my health."

"You'll tell no one," he clarified. "Not even your precious Potter."

"I won't tell anyone," she affirmed. "Not even Harry."

He eyed her once more. His gaze lingering on her more feminine attributes. Her face colored in embarrassment. She wasn't used to boys looking at her like that. Finally, he looked her in the eye once more.

"What if I require more than just your blood?"


	4. Chapter 4

A/N: Thank you all for your kind words. It makes me feel all warm and fuzzy inside to know that you are enjoying the fruits of my labor. Let's keep the tension going, shall we?

Hermione gulped as those words fell from his lips. Lips that were coated in her blood. What was he talking about? Surely he wasn't suggesting what she thought he was.

"What do you mean?" she asked, nervously licking her dry lips. She watched as his eyes followed the movement of her tongue. There wasn't a doubt in her mind now what he was wanting, but could she do it? Swearing on her honor as a witch was not something to take lightly. She would lose her magic completely if she didn't keep to her vow. If he demanded something of her sexually, she would have to comply or revert to being a muggle.

He laughed, but the sound was sinister in the quietude of the forest and his breath was warm as it puffed against her cheek. "Come now, Granger. Surely you're not that thick? You are the brightest witch here at Hogwarts. I would go one step further even. Maybe you are the brightest witch to come through Hogwarts since Rowena Ravenclaw herself. So don't be obtuse."

He nuzzled her cheek and licked her jaw line just above the collar of her jumper. She shuddered as unwanted pleasure coursed through her. Had Draco Malfoy just complimented her? She wanted to pinch herself to make sure that she wasn't dreaming. But she knew that this wasn't a dream. The pain in her neck told her as much.

She shook herself internally. He was waiting for her to answer. Instead, she tried to divert. She pushed against his questing hands that had slowly begun to unbutton her robes. "Surely you wouldn't want someone such as myself? According to you, I'm beneath you. A mudblood, remember? Why would you contaminate yourself?"

He smiled coldly as he continued to remove her clothing. "Oh, Granger. Another slytherin-like maneuver. You are surprising. If you had been a pureblood, I have no doubt that you'd have been placed in my house. It's not as if I can have children. I'm now the undead, remember? It makes no difference if I have a dalliance or two with you. And beneath me is right where you belong."

His hands skimmed the skin of her waist as she struggled with herself. She couldn't deny that Draco Malfoy was sexy as hell. He had always been nice looking but she could never get over his abysmal attitude. As a vampire, Draco Malfoy could only be described as extraordinary. She wondered why she hadn't seen it before now.

She fended off his hands weakly as he tried to lift her skirt. "But," she protested weakly. "But…"

His finger on her lips silenced her as he wrapped one strong hand around both of her wrists. "Shh…" he cooed. "I'll only ask one more time, Granger. Can you be my obedient little pet? Or do I need to take care of business and be done with it? It's your choice."


	5. Chapter 5

Hermione closed her eyes as his fingers traced tantalizing patterns on the exposed skin of her stomach. She couldn't think straight. What with her blood loss and the cloud of lust impairing her brain, she could hardly string together a coherent thought.

She wasn't exactly sure what Malfoy was asking. She knew that he wanted sexual favors from her as well as her blood. But what else did he want?

She jumped as she felt his wicked tongue on her neck once more lapping at her wound. She pressed her hands against him as he pressed incessantly closer to her. Once more, she felt his arousal press against her. She struggled through the fog of her mind to ask what she needed to know.

"D-Draco," she whispered, her voice faint from her exhaustion. "If I agree to your terms, what would it mean? What would happen afterwards?"

"It would mean that you would only be mine," he breathed into her ear. "Mine to feed from, mine to pleasure, mine to fuck." He paused as he turned her face to look into her eyes. She was nearly hypnotized as his red eyes bled back to their more familiar silver grey. "You would belong to me; mind, body, and soul. No one else shall ever have you again."

Hermione shivered as his possessive words washed over her. She figured as much. But that would mean there would never be any love.

No husband.

No kids.

No family.

She would forever be stuck with Draco Malfoy the vampire. Until he tired of her and he either walked away or killed her.

Tears pricked her eyes as the realization that all was lost to her now. It wasn't much of a choice. She could die now and keep whatever dignity she had left or she could choose to prolong the inevitable and be miserable. She was thinking the latter was the better choice. At least then she would still belong to herself.

Malfoy must have sensed her impending decision. He smoothed her curls away from her face again. "It doesn't have to be terrible, Pet. In fact, I will make it immensely pleasurable for you."

He threaded his fingers into her tangled hair and tilted her head back as her tears finally splashed down her face. "You'll like what I give you and I can make it where you'll love what I take."

He buried his face against the flesh of her throat, his lips grazing her wound as he spoke. "You don't understand, Granger. You taste of the finest ambrosia, the sweetest honey. You are the food of the Gods. I don't understand but I know that I want you. More than I've ever wanted anything."

Hermione was wavering, walking the knife's edge of decision. She didn't want to give herself to Malfoy. She was her own person. But Harry needed her. He'd never defeat Voldemort without her. It was then that she made her decision.


	6. Chapter 6

.

Choice? What choice did she have? She couldn't leave Harry on his own to take on Voldemort. He needed her to keep him from charging headlong into something that he wasn't prepared for. She was the voice of reason amongst the three of them. On the same token, she couldn't risk Malfoy ever coming to her. She would have to get him to agree to let her come to him. It would be disastrous to have someone who continually associated with Death Eater's know where Harry was at outside of school. While Harry was protected at Hogwarts, his protection was flimsy at best outside of school.

She shivered a little as his lips returned to her neck. "What will it be, Pet? It is getting awfully late."

Hermione took a deep breath and almost instantly regretted it. He smelled so good and breathing him in made her feel a lot like she was losing herself. She was sure that it was all a part of the vampire allure but that made her no less susceptible to it.

"On one condition," Hermione whispered.

He drew back away from her so that he could look in her eyes. "Go on," he urged.

She straightened herself and met his hypnotic gaze. "I must be the one to come to you. You must never seek me out. I will vow on my powers as a witch that I will answer your call and to never disclose your secret willingly."

He stared at her for a moment but she never flinched under his scrutinizing gaze. This was something that she wouldn't, that she couldn't compromise on. She would never jeopardize her friends safety. She might be doomed but that didn't mean she had to doom them as well.

"And if I accept," he finally answered.

Hermione let a small puff of air pass her lips as she exhaled in relief. He was considering it. "I will answer when you call. I will be your willing donor for whatever you hunger for. As long as it doesn't endanger my life."

He must have accepted her words because Malfoy looked like Christmas had come early for a split second before his face melted back to mask of indifference. "I'll accept those terms, Granger, but I have a few of my own as well. I will give you forty eight hours to answer when I call before I try to find you. I believe that's very generous. And secondly, the bond will be formed tonight. I know how smart you are and I will not give you time to try and find a way out of it."

Hermione gazed up at him. That was about as good as she could expect to get from the likes of him. She was sure that in the terms he was offering, he was being charitable. She had heard of instances that a vampire required their donor to actually live with them and to never go anywhere without them.

She took a deep breath. It was out of the frying pan and into the fire it seemed. She was sure that she would not make it through the night with her virginity intact.

"I accept," she murmured.

The words had hardly left her tongue and the tingle of magic tingled up her arms as their vow took hold of them. It didn't hurt per se, but it wasn't a pleasant feeling either. It terrified her to know that her very essence, her magical core was subject to Draco Malfoy's whimsy. She had to give him what he wanted now.

Within reason.

He pulled her trembling form close to his own and disapparated them with a crack.


	7. Chapter 7

Hermione stumbled as they landed. She pulled away from Malfoy immediately. She whirled around to face him, incredulous at what he had just done.

"How did you do that?" she demanded. "No one can apparate from inside the grounds of Hogwarts!"

Malfoy merely smirked as he removed his outer cloak. "Living beings can't apparate inside of Hogwarts. But since I'm not technically living any longer…" He trailed of as he tossed his cloak over the chair by his desk.

She backed away slightly as he turned back around to face her. She was scared as she looked about the room. It was lavishly decorated. Rich tapestries hung from a huge bed that was much bigger than the standard bed in any of the dorms. There was a fireplace and what looked to be an ensuite bathroom. Even the furniture was nicer than what was in the Gryffindor common room.

"Where are we?" she asked hesitantly, afraid of what the answer might be. If he could apparate them from Hogwarts, they could be anywhere. Maybe even at his manor.

She shivered as she had another thought. If he could apparate them from Hogwarts, that meant that he could apparate in. What was stopping him from apparating Voldemort straight to Harry. She would have to tell Dumbledore immediately. But she couldn't do that, could she? She had vowed on her powers as a witch to keep his secret!

"You're a naughty witch, Granger," he murmured softly as he crossed the room. "Did you know that your face is like an open book? All your thoughts and feelings there for anyone to read. You are correct. It would break your vow to tell Dumbledore of my newfound ability."

Hermione backed away until she bumped into the wall. She tried to paste a blank look on her face, but she couldn't. It wasn't in her nature. She gazed up at him as he stopped before her, his eyes gleaming as he took her in. He reached up and she froze as he tucked a stray curl behind her ear. Then he brushed his fingers down and gripped her neck painfully.

She tried to push him away but he was much to strong. "Malfoy!" she gritted out. "Let go of me! You're hurting me!"

He pressed against her, trapping her arms in between their bodies. "I don't think so, Granger. You see, for this to work you're going to have to drink my blood. Somehow, I don't believe that you will want to do that."

Hermione was horrified. She didn't want to drink his blood. Just the thought made her sick. She twisted her arms, trying to free them. He squeezed her throat painfully with one hand and caught both of her arms with the other. Then her released her throat. She coughed harshly as air rushed back into her lungs.

"There now," he soothed as he brushed her hair back away from her face again. "It's not that bad. Besides, you've already made your choice. You can't go back on your word now, Hermione."

He lifted his arm and bit into his wrist. Then he put it to her lips. She turned her head away. She didn't want to drink his blood. There had to be some other way. She'd read what drinking vampire blood does to a human. Not only would it make her lust after him, he would be able to track her.

Anywhere.

It was bad enough that he could apparate around Hogwarts protective bounderies but to allow him to be able to find her wherever she may be. Anyone she associated with could be in danger. Especially if he became a Death Eater himself. His father was one. It stood to reason that he would be one too one day.

"Drink my Blood, Granger," he threatened. "Or I will force you to."

She closed her eyes and kept her head turned away. She would not willingly do this. Malfoy growled, his chest rumbling against her. He jerked her away from the wall and in an instant she was flat on her back on the bed with him straddling her abdomen. She beat her fists against him as he pinched her nose shut.

"You're so bloody stubborn," he commented as she struggled feebly beneath him. He might as well have been talking about the weather, he was so nonchalant. Never mind the fact that he was suffocating her.

Her vision darkened around the edges and she couldn't hold her breath any longer. She gasped, her mouth opening wide to gulp air. Malfoy was quick, pressing his bleeding wrist to her lips once more. She sputtered and coughed as his blood filled her mouth choking her. She felt like she just might go on and die. She couldn't catch her breath.

She calmed a little, breathing through her nose as his blood trickled down her throat. To her surprise, it didn't taste bad. On the contrary, it tasted like some bizarre mixture of fire and chocolate. That is, if fire had a taste. She couldn't really describe it. It seemed to heat her from the inside out.

She flushed as she realized that she was becoming aroused. She cursed silently in her head. This was exactly what she was worried about. Her captor laughed quietly above her. He removed his wrist and wiped her lips with his thumb.

"Don't be embarrassed, Pet. It's a natural reaction," he asserted.

She narrowed her eyes at him as he gazed down at her. "How do you know that I'm embarrassed?" she queried.

His lips twitched in amusement. "That's because I can feel you. It's one of the perks."

Hermione was thunderstruck. He could feel her mood! This thing just got worse and worse, didn't it? She wouldn't be able to hide anything from him. Next he would tell her that he could hear her thoughts. That really would be a disaster.

He shifted himself off of her stomach, looming over her in a much more intimate position. "It's not so bad, Granger," he murmured quietly as he caressed the side of her neck. The pain was gone so she could only assume that his blood had healed the wound from his bite. "It goes both ways, you know. You will be able to feel me as well."

Hermione gazed up at his silvery eyes, tentatively feeling for their newly formed bond. She gasped as she felt a new wave of emotion. Emotion that she knew that was not her own. She gulped as the intense feeling of arousal and hunger washed over her. And from the darkening of his eyes, she knew that she would be in for a rough night.


	8. Chapter 8

A/N: : ) I'm sorry if you've read this before. Fanfiction deleted my story, so now this is the truncated version.

Hermione's eyes widened as his eyes bled slowly back to red. Surely he wasn't hungry again? He'd nearly drained her dry in the forest. Even though she'd ingested some of his blood, it wasn't nearly enough to replenish what he'd taken. And it wasn't as if what she'd consumed replaced what had been in her veins. It merely made her feel a little better. What she really needed was a blood replenishment potion.

As if he'd read her mind, Malfoy was up and gone through the doorway in a flash. Seconds later, he reappeared next to the bed with a small vial filled with red liquid. He held it out to her.

"Drink this, Granger," his voice was low and raspy. He sounded almost as if it pained him to speak.

She reached out and took the vial from him with one shaking hand. She uncorked the seal and bought it to her lips. It didn't escape her notice that he deposited several more vials of the stuff on the small table next to the bed. She shuddered as the bitter-tasting liquid hit her tongue. It was horrible, sliding uncomfortably down her throat.

She handed the now empty tube back to Malfoy, who threw it into the waste bin in the corner. Hermione trembled as he turned back to her. Now was the moment of truth. She knew that she'd agreed to this. She really didn't have any other choice; but it didn't make it any easier. This was Malfoy. Her longtime enemy and tormentor. She couldn't reconcile the fact that he found her attractive in any way.

It also didn't help that she was inexperienced. She'd fancied giving her virginity to her husband on their wedding night. No where in her imaginings was it a vampire named Draco Malfoy who took away her innocence.

It took all of her self control to remain still as he walked slowly back towards the bed. All her being screamed at her to run. But that would be an exercise in futility. She'd never be able to outrun him and now that she'd had his blood, there wasn't anywhere that she could hide that he couldn't find her.

He stopped before her. Hermione kept her eyes adverted. Maybe if she didn't look at him, she could pretend that it was somebody else. He raised his hand and pushed against her shoulder, pushing her back down against the bed. She allowed him to. It was part of the deal. Maybe if she was a lifeless doll, he would lose interest. Maybe she would only have to do this part once.

End Note: Alright, lovelies. I'm sorry that I have to do this, but this is as far as this story can go on this site. You can read the rest on adultfanfiction, TWCS, and AO3. Someone keeps reporting me for content, so I absolutely refuse to post anything that is sexual in nature. This story continues on for at least 30 chapters, so I do hope you visit me on another site and continue to leave me your feedback. Thanks for reading.


	9. Chapter 9

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. Thanks for reading.

Hermione shifted slowly as she came back to the world of the living. She could feel Draco pressed tightly against her backside, his morning arousal pushed against the cleft in her bottom. She stiffened as the events from the night before rose to the forefront of her mind. Had last night actually happened?

She cracked her eyes open and took in the green bed curtains. She groaned in her mind. Shite! All that did happen. She'd given her virginity to Draco Malfoy. The same Draco Malfoy that was now a vampire. She'd entered into a magical agreement to be his blood donor and sexual paramour for as long as he wanted.

How could she be so stupid?

She closed her eyes and breathed deeply, trying to calm herself. What was done is done. She couldn't change things now. She could only figure out what to do from here.

First things were first: she had to figure out where she was and get back to Hogwarts. Surely someone had realized that she was missing. Then she would figure out how she was going to deal with Malfoy. She definitely needed to go to the library. There had to be some way that she could restrict or get rid of this bond altogether. She just couldn't see herself as Malfoy's sex slave for the rest of her life.

She moved slightly as she tried to wiggle out from under the leg he had curled over her hip. She wasn't even aware that vampires slept. Apparently this one did if the light snoring was any indication. After some slow maneuvering, she managed to pry herself from his grip.

She froze as he flipped onto his other side. She breathed a sigh of relief when his soft snores began again. She snorted to herself. Who'd ever thought that Draco Malfoy snored. It was almost cute.

Almost.

She pulled her eyes from him and hurriedly located her clothing, chastising herself for having such insane thoughts. Maybe it was because of the bond. She would have to find out for sure. She searched for her wand. She knew that she would need it to get back to the school. She checked the nightstands, pulling open each drawer quietly, so as not to wake her captor.

She searched the pockets of his discarded robe and trouser's pockets and came up empty handed. She didn't even find his wand. Where was he hiding them. Her eyes went to the pillow under his head. It was a near improbability that he had them stashed there. She knew she wouldn't be able to get it from there.

She huffed angrily and turned to the door. She would have to think of something else. She yelped as her hand closed around the silver doorknob.

It had burned her!

"Going somewhere?" his voice drawled lazily.

She looked at her hand. It was red and stung terribly. Foul little ferret! Trust him to put wards up that would harm her if she tried to breach them.

She turned to face her…. What was he to her now? He wasn't a friend. He wasn't really her enemy. She couldn't class him as that since she was technically his lover. It made her head hurt.

"Look," she stated carefully as she massaged her temples. "I was just going to return to school. I'm hungry and I'm sure that someone has noticed my absence."

He raised an eyebrow as he sat up in the bed. She forced her eyes to remain on his face even as more and more of his chiseled body was exposed. He smirked as if he could read her thoughts. She blushed and he smirked knowingly.

Prat!

"You are in Hogwarts, love. If you were hungry, you should have woken me. I'd have ordered you something. Can't have you getting too skinny on me now, can we?"

Hermione's mind was fixated on the fact that they were still at school. At school where? She was sure that none of the dorms looked like this.

"This is my own private chambers, my nest so-to-speak, before you ask. Once my Godfather learned of my status, he petitioned the Headmaster for this space."

Hermione was flummoxed. Did the Headmaster know what he was?

She cleared her throat. "Does Dumbledore know what you are?"

He stared at her for a moment, his eyes glinting hungrily as he perused her form leisurely. "Yes," he finally answered. " He gave a werewolf the chance to teach, why not give a vampire the chance to continue his education?"

He was right. He did deserve to continue his education but what about the safety of the students? Even Lupin had been locked away during the full moon. She was a shining example of what could go horribly wrong.

"Look, Malfoy, please let me out. Let me have my wand. I'll come if you call, you have my word. Right now, I just need a moment to let this all sink in."

What she really thought she needed was Draught of Peace potion. Her mind was whirling a million miles a minute and it was beginning to overwhelm her.

She jumped as he appeared before her instantly. Why did he keep doing that? And he was naked to boot! He moved toward her and she countered by moving back until the door stopped her retreat. Was he always going to be so domineering?

"Leave me alone, Malfoy!" she sneered as she met his glacial gaze.

"No," he countered. " I don't think so. There is no need for you to leave, just yet. It's the weekend, you won't be missed. And I'm not nearly finished with you."

"You're insatiable!" she argued as he kissed up the side of her neck. "How am I ever going to have a life if you keep me locked in a room and chained to your bed!"

He laughed, the sound was wicked and sultry in her ears. " Sounds like a plan, darling."

"Argh!" she groaned. "Please, I just need some time! I can't do this right now!"

He pulled away slightly and licked his lips. She could see the faint red of her blood. She hadn't even felt him bite her. "You can and you will, Granger. You agreed. I hate to break it to you, but it looks like you'll be moving in with me. As you so rightly stated, I am insatiable. All young vampires are."

She stood there open-mouthed at his pronouncement. She was not going to live with him, despite what he thought.

"I'm not moving in with you! That was not part of the agreement! I wouldn't even if you were Adam and I was fashioned from your rib!" He really had some nerve!

He pinned her with his eyes, fury blazing inside his icy orbs. "Who the fuck is Adam? And what the hell does he have to with this? I swear on Slytherin's testicles, if you have another man…"

Hermione couldn't help it. Laughter bubbled from her throat making this situation even more ridiculous than it already was. She forgot that Malfoy wouldn't know who Adam and Eve were.

"This isn't funny," he seethed. "I told you that there would be no other men. Now, tell me who this Adam is and where I can find him."

"It's a muggle reference, Malfoy!" she smiled at the insanity of the situation. "I told you, there hasn't been anyone else. Now, do calm down and let me out, will you?"

"No," he replied. "I meant what I said. I wasn't done with you. You are in for the long haul, my dearest Granger. You'll be wishing you chose the other option by the time I'm done with you."

Hermione's smile faded as she realized that he was serious. Deadly serious.

What exactly had she gotten herself in to?

End Note: This chapter is here in its entirety. I hope to get this story caught back up to chapter 17. Sorry if I'm spamming your inbox by having to re-post.


	10. Chapter 10

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This particular chapter has been edited for content. Thanks for reading.

Hermione stared up into the hard eyes of Draco Malfoy trying to gauge just how serious he was. Surely, he really didn't expect her to move into this room with him. She closed her eyes as she tried to figure out how to get herself out of the situation she had placed herself in. Not that it was entirely her fault. She hadn't gone into the Forbidden Forest on her own; she'd gone at Hagrid's urging. It wasn't her fault that Grawp had carried her into the forest away from Hagrid and Harry. It most certainly wasn't her fault that Malfoy had attacked her with the intent of killing her and she had to barter just to survive. This wasn't what she'd bargained for when she agreed to become his play thing, so to speak.

"Can I," she asked softly. "Can I just have some time, Malfoy? An hour perhaps to gather my thoughts, to settle my nerves. Perhaps eat some breakfast."

She kept her eyes closed after she'd made her request. She was honestly afraid of what she'd see. She could feel his eyes drilling holes into her head even though she couldn't see them. She could simply feel the intensity and the weight of his gaze pressing upon her, enshrouding her in an ever growing pit of despair.

Maybe Malfoy was right. She should have chosen the other option. Anything was better than this.

"No," he muttered darkly, his breath caressing the tip of her ear. Her heart beat wildly in her chest as his nose nuzzled into her hairline.

"I told you before, I want you Granger. I want you underneath me, writhing in pleasure. I want you on your knees with my...

She shuddered as she processed his words. He was a deviant. She should have never agreed to his absurd offer. She should have stuck to her guns and only consented to being his blood donor. He was probably bluffing anyway. He could have easily obliviated her in the forest. It hadn't occurred to her at the time to suggest that to him. Maybe it wasn't too late.

She opened her eyes and flinched back against the door as she took in the sheer amount of hunger that was present in his shimmering grey orbs. She shook in his grasp as she offered her alternative.

"Look, Malfoy, maybe we could come to a compromise," she murmured quietly. She was sincerely frightened of him at this moment. He looked as if he was barely holding himself in check. "You said in the forest that you couldn't afford anyone to know of your condition." She swallowed the lump in her throat as his eyes slowly began to bleed to red, the unnatural tint covering his normally pale eyes. "What if you obliviated me? You could erase all my memories…"

Hermione stopped abruptly as a vicious sounding growl rumbled through his chest. She cried out in pain as his hand snagged her hair and wrenched her head back baring the long column of her throat to his hungry stare.

"What part of our deal didn't you understand?" he asked menacingly, as his tongue traced the lobe of her ear. She shuddered as he sucked harshly on her neck. "I won't let you go, Granger, not now and not in a thousand years. You're mine. It's much too late to back out now."

Hermione whimpered as his teeth cut through her flesh as if it was butter. She'd awoken the monster with her words. The only thing she could do was hang on for the ride.

End Note: Thanks for all your continued support of my stories. It really does mean a lot. I've also noticed increased traffic of my stories at the other sites and I'm glad to see that some of you are making the journey to read this over there. I''m going to upload to chapter 18 of this story today, so I'll apologize in advance for spamming any of your inboxes. The only chapter that has any new content will be chapter 18.


	11. Chapter 11

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. Thanks for reading.

Hermione blinked in confusion as she felt herself pressed against the bed. He'd moved them so fast, away from the door and onto the bed, it left her breathless. She winced as he released his hold on her neck. She could feel the points of his teeth as he pulled away from her abused flesh.

She choked as he forced his bleeding wrist to her lips once more and the coppery tang of his blood filled her mouth.

"Now do you see where you belong, Granger?" he asked as he held his arm against her lips. Her eyes were wide as she watched the shadows on his face. She was frightened by how quickly his mood shifted. She couldn't keep up. It was giving her emotional whiplash. She didn't answer his question, as he continued to ply her with his blood.

"You belong to me, under me," he murmured as he pulled his arm away and rolled his hips against her. Hermione moaned softly as his... She hated him, despised him for making her feel like this.. The power of his blood dulled her natural instincts and made her a slave to his every whim.

Anyone who knew Hermione Granger, knew that she was very driven and also very independent. She loathed not being in control. With Malfoy, she was totally out of control. She didn't even control when she'd be able to leave or get breakfast or maybe he would even police when she was allowed to use the loo.

She clutched his shoulders as he pulled her jeans and knickers off once more. She hissed in unwelcome pleasure as he...

She held onto him as he... "Say it," he hissed. "Say you're mine, Granger. Say you belong to me."

She looked up into his fearsome eyes as he... She knew his statement was true. She was his, she did belong to him thanks to the ridiculous deal that she'd struck with him. She'd made a deal with the devil. She wouldn't say it though. She wouldn't inflate his ego any further; it was large enough as it was.

"No," she gasped out as he... "I belong to nobody but myself. My will is my own."

He leered at her as he increased the strength behind... "Say, it, Granger. Say it, or I'll make you."

...

N-No," she grit between her teeth. "You may have my body, Malfoy, but you'll never have my soul. You're going to regret ever doing this to me."

He grunted in response and... She panted and trembled beneath him as he sagged on top of her, obviously exhausted from his efforts.

But she counted it as a victory. He hadn't made her say the dreaded words. She'd not voiced what she knew to be the truth. It gave her some modicum of comfort.

She shifted as he licked her throat once more. Surely he wasn't hungry again? She couldn't be sustained on blood replenishing potions indefinitely.

"Did you know," he asked quietly, his breath cool in her ear. " That you've had so much of my blood now that if you were to die, you would become like me?"

End Note:That was most unsatisfying. Again, major bits of this chapter have been edited out. And again, I'm so very sorry. For those of you who asked, I cannot reply to reviews on adultfanfiction, so I'll answer your question here and in an authors note on chapter 18. You can't subscribe to an author or story on adultfanfiction. One of the pitfalls of that site. You can subscribe to me here. You will get an email from fanfiction and since I update my stories on all the sites at the same time, you can head over there to read the unedited chapter. :) Kind of using their own system for my own purpose. I don't feel the least bit bad about it either. I feel everyone should be able to read what they want.


	12. Chapter 12

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This chapter is unedited and is here in its entirety. Thanks for reading.

"Y-You can't be serious?" she squeaked. She'd never known that. She'd always thought that to become a vampire, one had to be totally drained of blood and then given the infusion of vampire blood. If what he said was true, she could be struck on the head by a tree and turn into a vampire. Merlin, she could get avada'd by a Death Eater and come back as a vamp.

"I'm afraid so," he gloated as his nose nestled against her much abused neck. It was stinging painfully now from the many bites he'd inflicted on her in the past twenty-four hours. "But it gets even better, for me at least."

She shuddered as his tongue licked languidly at the wound on her neck. It tingled uncomfortably as he swiped his tongue over it. "If I do turn you, you have to obey me. If I give you a direct command, you can't not obey me. You will feel physical discomfort and then pain if you don't comply."

Tears wavered in her vision. This thing just kept on getting worse by the minute. "You mean," she choked out. "That if I die, I'll be your slave even in death?"

"Yes."

She closed her eyes in horror, her tears falling freely from her eyes. She could never be free of him. As long as he continued to force his blood into her, she couldn't even take her own life to be free. She would just come back and belong to him once more.

"Just kill me now," she moaned softly in despair. "No, don't do that," she quickly backpedaled. His hold would tighten over her in death. Circe, help her. He could kill her and allow her to turn. Then he could command her to kill Harry. There wouldn't be a thing she could do about it.

She was mortified that she'd allowed him to corner her so effectively. There was nothing in this 'deal' for her at all. She stayed alive, but it wasn't any kind of life she'd wanted. She'd been duped, thoroughly out-maneuvered by a cunning Slytherin vampire.

"Would it be so bad," he asked softly. "To spend eternity with me? It is lonely, Granger, as an immortal. Imagine, watching those around you, everyone you love, knowing that they will die someday. I've only been like this for six months and I've already begun to despair. I won't last if I can't come to grips with my immortality."

She eyed him carefully, seeing her tear stained face reflected in his flinty orbs. "What do you know of love, Malfoy?" she asked. "You've been cruel to me for the last five years. You've treated me like I was the vilest creature in the wizarding world and then you ask if it would be bad to spend eternity with you. I can't hardly stand to be in your presence for five seconds if you're spitting vitriol at me."

"I," he faltered and looked at the spot above her head.

She watched him carefully. She'd never seen him so unguarded. She'd never heard him sound insecure. His last statement had thrown her for a loop. She wondered if he'd done this to her just so that he could have a companion. If that was true, why hadn't he chosen one of his so-called friends? Or his girlfriend, Pansy?

"I'm sorry," he finally. "I don't know what else to say, Granger. I was raised by a tyrant, who beat fear and obedience into me. I was expected to act a certain way and I'd be punished if he didn't think I was living up to his standards. As for love, I love my mother. She's the only good thing in my cursed life. Just because I don't show it, doesn't mean that it isn't there."

She didn't move as he pressed his face into her collar bone. She felt sorry for the prat. And she hated herself for it. She couldn't imagine growing up around Lucius Malfoy. The man was terrifying. She suddenly got visions of a toddler Draco crying as his father cursed him for spilling some ink on a stack of parchment. Something that a quick 'scourgify' would set to rights. She saw a sad Narcissa in the background, tears staining her porcelain cheeks and her hand clasped tightly over her mouth.

She blinked as she came back to the present. "You see?" he asked hoarsely. "There wasn't any other way fro me to act."

"What?" she asked. "Was that?" She was a little unnerved by the vision. It was so clear that it was like it was her own memory.

"Our bond," he explained. "It is growing already."

End Note: I thought I'd explain my version of the vampire for any newcomers. I've mixed various traits from three popular series, True Blood, Vampire Diaries, and Twilight. Draco can walk in the sun, but he can't sparkle. He has retractable fangs, can glamour, and the bit about him being able to command her if he is her maker is from True Blood. And the bit about her dying with his blood in her allowing her to turn is from Vampire Diaries. Thanks for reading.


	13. Chapter 13

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This chapter is unedited and is here in its entirety. Thanks for reading.

"Bond?" she questioned. Fear spiked once again through her trembling body. She was cold. So cold. It didn't help that she was mostly naked pressed against an equally naked Malfoy. His body didn't exactly radiate with body heat any longer. Also was the fact that she had lost so much blood. She was most likely suffering from anemia.

She had to make him see reason. And soon. She would die if he didn't let her get up and restore some of her precious fluids. She needed sustenance to restore some of the energy that she had lost. But maybe he didn't want her to live after all. He'd basically just revealed to her that he wanted her to remain by his side forever as a companion.

"Yes, Granger. Our bond. You can't feel it?" he asked as his eyes caught hers once more.

She gazed back thoughtfully. She did feel a bit different. But she had attributed that to the shock of everything that had transpired. She didn't know as much as she thought she did about vampires. She didn't know why Malfoy could go into the sunlight. She didn't know about the blood thing. She had no idea what this bond thing entailed. She felt like she was standing on the edge of a cliff and there was nothing that was going to save her from plummeting over the edge.

"W-What," she asked as she cleared her throat, "Does this bond entail precisely? I knew that you would be able to track me. But what else do I need to know?"

He pushed her hair away from her face as he gently inspected her neck. "You are correct. I can track you. And I told you earlier, I can feel your emotions as you can feel mine. But our bond is strengthening. I gave you a memory earlier. I suspect that soon I will be able to hear your thoughts."

Hermione stiffened in alarm and a battle went on throughout her mind at his words. This was exactly what she was afraid of. She couldn't allow Draco Malfoy access to her mind. It would be too dangerous. He wasn't a Death Eater yet, but his Father was. She had to find a way to either block him from her mind or sway him to the side of the light.

"How," she asked quietly. "Is it possible that our bond is so strong? I mean, you meant to use me as your personal love slave. That shouldn't equate to the bond being as strong as you say it is. We were nothing more than bitter acquaintances before this. I might understand better if we were some type of friends or something. But you couldn't stand me and I assure you that the feeling was quite mutual. Why the sudden pull?"

He didn't answer her for a long moment. He finally got up and pulled on his trousers. She covered herself in a sheet as he paced the room. He raked a hand through his hair and she noticed that he was trembling. Hermione shivered as he finally turned and pinned her with an intense gaze.

"I would hazard to guess that the bond is my fault," he explained.

She sat there waiting for him to continue. She was more confused now than she was before. He turned his back on her and walked to the window.

"At first, I only meant to form a blood bond with you. It would enable me to track you if you didn't show when I called you. But then, it turned into something more. The moment I touched you, it was like it flipped a switch. I can't even stand the thought of you being with another man. I didn't even want you to leave this room. I don't understand where this feeling of possessiveness comes from."

"What are you saying?" she asked with growing trepidation.

"I'm saying that I formed a much stronger bond with you. I meant what I said a minute ago. I want you. I want you by my side. Forever. All I want is for you to love me. I've formed a mate bond with you and I won't let you go.

End Note: So... thoughts? The first twist, there will be many more to come. I've outlined this story to the end and so far it looks like there will 30 chapters or so. Thanks again for all your unwavering support. I'm saddened that I lost so many wonderful reviews when they deleted the original version. Almost 500 well wishes and words of encouragement. I'd hoped that this would be my first story to see 1,000 reviews. It doesn't look like that will happen now. Leave me some love...


	14. Chapter 14

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This chapter is unedited and is here in its entirety. Thanks for reading.

Hermione sat there stunned. She couldn't believe the words that had just tumbled from between his lips. She was mostly clueless to the customs and ways of vampires, but she was pretty sure that this mate bond sounded a whole lot more serious than just a blood bond.

"What?" she asked carefully. "Exactly is a mate bond?" She was almost afraid to hear the answer. Deep in her heart, she already knew what it meant.

"It's just as it sounds," he answered quietly. "But unlike a blood bond, it is entirely unbreakable. Not even death will sever our ties to each other."

"Meaning what exactly?" she asked as she tried to quell her rising panic. He wouldn't do that! Would he?

"It means that if one of us dies, so will the other. Our very souls are linked together."

Hermione was horrified. This is not what she signed up for. "Why would you do that, Malfoy?" she asked, her voice shrill as her fast moving mind turned over the implications of such a tie. "Isn't it customary to get the other person's consent before initiating such an irrevocable act. What if I didn't want to bond with you?"

She ignored the hurt swimming in his pale eyes as she waited for his answer. She felt he owed her that much. She looked at the wall over his shoulder stubbornly as he crouched down in front of her. He reached out and cupped her cheek as he tilted her face and finally met her gaze.

"Is it really so bad to love me?" he asked softly.

"That's just it, Malfoy!" she said exasperated. "You don't know anything about love. Your heart seems like it's darker than your soul. I mean, you manipulated me from the start, masterfully maneuvering me into your trap. And I fell for it; hook, line, and sinker. I never really stood a chance, did I?"

"It's much too late for regrets now, Granger," he murmured as he traced her lower lip with his thumb. "There's no going back. I can't leave you alone, Granger. I realized that after I tasted you. I wouldn't now even if I could."

Her lips trembled as her emotions blossomed into an all out storm within her. Tears pooled in her eyes and she quickly blinked them away. The action was futile, she knew. He could feel everything that she felt. Her life was tied to his now. But it went both ways. If she died, so would he.

A new weight descended upon her as she thought about it. If she was killed in the upcoming war, which was a likely scenario, he would die as well. She may not like the prat much, especially after he tricked her, but she didn't wish him dead.

He pulled her into his embrace as her carefully constructed façade crumbled, leaving her breakdown there for him to see as well as feel. She cried until she couldn't cry anymore. He hadn't really given her a choice. It seemed that he knew her better than she thought he did. He'd backed her into a corner and there was no way out. She knew in her heart that there was really only one option for her. She would just have to hope that everything worked out for the best.

"I surrender," she whispered quietly as her tears rolled slowly down her cheeks. "There is no point fighting you. You win."

As Malfoy latched onto her neck for the final time in her human life and she felt her life slowly draining away, her last thoughts were centered on Harry and Ron. She just hoped that some day they could forgive her.

End Note: I know my cliffhangers are going to bit more cruel now that the updates are a little further apart. But it's worth it in the end. Leave me review, I need something to read over until Tuesday. ; ) Just kidding. No, I'm not. I love reviews. See you Tuesday.


	15. Chapter 15

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This chapter is unedited and here in its entirety. Thanks for reading.

Hermione's thoughts drifted as Draco drew more and more blood from her body. She felt so weak as she lay cradled against him. She couldn't do much more than twitch her fingertips as her body grew more and more feeble.

She felt overwhelmed with everything that had happened over the last twenty-four hours. She went from being a happy-go-lucky Gryffindor fifth year, to being a blood/love slave to Draco Malfoy, to being mate bonded to the same prat.

She still couldn't grasp the fact that he'd done something of such magnitude without at least mentioning it first. But, at the same time, it sounded just like something he would do. Draco Malfoy definitely wasn't used to hearing the word 'no'.

And that was exactly what she would have told him.

He had her character pinned exactly there. She would have never consented to such a thing. Even though she was beyond furious with the cunning blond, she felt pity for the much detested Slytherin. He had a really sorry lot in life, when you took the time to think about it. His father was a tyrant, who openly invited the darkest wizard of all time into their lives. He was cruel and unfeeling. It was no wonder that Draco was the way he was.

And she had felt his sadness and loneliness through the bond toward the end. She knew that she too would have to come to grips with watching everyone that she loved grow old and die. She could understand his need to have someone as a companion.

What she couldn't quite grasp was why he chose her. Why didn't he choose someone that he was close to? Why not Pansy? Or Daphne?

Why did he choose her, of all people?

She wasn't anything special. She was far from the prettiest girl in their year. He hated her and went out of his way to give her grief over the last five years. So needless to say she was flummoxed over what was happening.

She sagged deeper into his embrace. She no longer had the strength to hold her body upright. She was scared. What would happen now? Would Dumbledore extend the same courtesy to her as he did Malfoy? Would she be allowed to continue her education? Would she even need it? How was she supposed to get a job as a vampire?

What would her friends think? What about Harry and his fight with Voldemort? Would she still be able to help him? Would she even be able to be around her friends without trying to kill them? So many what ifs and unknowns it made her dizzy to contemplate.

Her eyes slipped shut as her body started to shut down. She didn't feel any pain. She felt like she was weightless, floating in a sea of veritable darkness. She barely felt it as Draco pried her mouth open and more of his blood splashed onto her tongue. She couldn't even summon the energy to swallow. She hardly noticed as he shifted her and tilted her head back, so that his blood slipped freely down her throat.

She briefly felt his smooth lips at her temple and hardly heard his whispered words, "You'll have a new life once you awaken, love. Just give me a chance and I will give you the world. You have my word, as a Malfoy and my oath as your mate. I'll make it up to you."

She felt his lips on her eyelids with the barest whisper of contact, like the flutter of butterfly wings, as she breathed one last time; her chest becoming still on her exhale. Her body gave up the fight as she slipped into the stillness of death and heard no more.

End Note: So, thoughts? What do you think she's going to do when she wakes up? Leave me some love.


	16. Chapter 16

A/N:Thanks ever so much for sticking with this story. It means a lot. So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This chapter is unedited and is here in its entirety. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 16

Hermione's eyes flashed open and she took a breath out of shock. It felt weird. It tasted weird. She ran her tongue along the wicked teeth in the front of her mouth. Those were going to take some getting used to.

She took in her surroundings carefully, noting the powerful arms wrapped around her abdomen and the large body spooned up against her backside. She struggled out of his grasp and was across the room in the blink of an eye. She stared at him in shock. She was much stronger in this life. She would no longer cower before him as she once had. This little plan of his may just blow up in face spectacularly. She grinned with the thought.

She watched him warily as he stood up from the bed and stretched languidly. "Don't get any wild ideas, love," he drawled slowly. "I'm your maker and your mate. I deserve and demand your respect and obedience."

"You deserve my respect?" she asked incredulously. "You deserve nothing more than to be poked with a red hot poker where the sun doesn't shine. You deserve to be fed to a pack of hungry manticores. You've ruined my life, you wanker. You don't get my respect. And you damn sure won't have my obedience."

Draco merely arched one pale, perfect brow in amusement at her temper tantrum. "You have much to learn, little one. But you always were a hard-headed, stubborn witch. I suppose that undesirable trait has carried over into this life."

"Now see here, you foul, hot-tempered…" she seethed before he cut her off coldly.

"That is quite enough," he hissed dangerously. "As I stated before, you have much to learn. There's no time like the present to start. I command you, as your maker, to cease speaking this instant. You will shut up and listen until I give you permission to speak."

Hermione opened her mouth to tell him in no uncertain terms that she refused to obey any of his commands, but she found that her throat refused to work. The harder she tried, the more her throat seized up until there was nothing but blinding pain encircling her windpipe.

She fell to her knees, sputtering and coughing. To her utmost horror, bloody tears fell from her eyes and splattered onto the floor. She glared up at the monster before her. She only hoped that her malevolence toward him was reflected in her gaze, since she couldn't speak it.

"That's better," he praised as he smirked knowingly. "You're a bright witch, love. I'm sure you'll catch on in no time. Let this be your first lesson. I'm your maker. You have no choice but to respect and obey me. If you don't, I will be within my full rights to punish you. It could be something as simple as a reprimand to the true death. It's my decision."

He paused for a moment as she processed his words. So he could kill her. Maybe that was what she wanted. She could just piss him off to the point that he ended her miserable life. But she didn't quite want that to happen yet. She had to be there for Harry. She knew that he would need her to beat the Dark Lord.

She stared up at him, as more bloody tears slipped from her eyes. She didn't like the thought of bleeding from her eyes every time she felt sad. Red tears were a lot harder to hide and she most definitely didn't want to show weakness in front of Draco Malfoy. He would be too quick to capitalize on it.

"Now, I know you won't believe me, but I have no desire to be so harsh. I've chosen you to be my child, to be my mate, and believe it or not, I didn't come to this decision on the spur of the moment. I've known for months now that I would have to make a child. I knew that I wouldn't last very long without some sort of companionship. I've been scoping out possibilities for the whole year. And yes, you were at the top of the list. You gave me a golden opportunity in the forest, Granger. Did I have any idea that I wanted to bind us as mates then? No. I didn't know until after the first taste. Blood calls to blood, Granger. How ironic is it that I, a Malfoy with the purest of blood, could be so compatible with a muggleborn? Did I exploit you? Yes. And I'm not sorry about it. It brought us together."

Hermione's mind reeled with his confession. He'd planned to turn her. Maybe not right away. She could see him capitalizing on their 'deal' for awhile before he made her into a vampire. She wondered if she was still going to be required to sleep with him. Probably. Especially since they were bound as mates.

The thought was still distasteful to her, especially since he hadn't asked her consent to be bound in such a way. She didn't even know the implications of such a bond. She didn't know anything really.

"I can sense you curiosity," he said as he pulled her back into the standing position. "I'll lend you all my books later. First we have to attend to another lesson. You need to learn how to hunt."

End Note: Up next, Hermione's first hunt. Lend me your thoughts. Let me know what you think might happen. We have a lot of ground to cover and I promise that it will be quite the ride.


	17. Chapter 17

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. This story is posted to chapter 17 on the other sites. This chapter is unedited and is here in its entirety. Thanks for reading.

Chapter 17

Hermione stumbled slightly as they were released from the pull of apparition. She guessed that she would have to get used to the feeling all over again with her new and stronger body. She moved to step away from Draco but he kept his grip tight around her upper arm.

She looked at him questioningly as he hadn't given her permission to speak just let. He kept his hand upon her, holding her tight.

"You may speak," he said imperiously.

"Are we in muggle London?" she asked incredulously.

"We are," he affirmed as he moved them toward the mouth of the alley. "It's much easier to hunt and glamour muggles than it is the average witch or wizard. And since my true nature isn't widely known, this is by far my preference in hunting grounds. You'll learn soon that blood is blood, whether it be wizard or muggle."

She stared at Draco Malfoy as he released her arm and grasped her hand instead. He'd uttered words that she'd never thought would have ever come from his perfect lips. She shook her head in disgust. What in Merlin's beard was wrong with her? Draco Malfoy most certainly did NOT have perfect lips.

He pulled her aside before they left the relative safety of the alley. "Listen to me, Granger," he said as he stared hard into her eyes. "This will be unlike anything you've ever done before. This will be harder than Snape's potions tests. You are going to smell things so good that it seems that you will do anything to have them. You must fight that urge. I will help you target your first meal and I will help you learn how to glamour them after. I know that you don't want to hurt anybody and I will do my damnedest to make sure that you don't. You certainly don't want that on your conscience."

Hermione nodded and he led her from the alley into the night air. She wanted to ask him how he knew that about her. She wanted to ask him if he'd killed anyone, whether it be by accident or on purpose. She kept her questions to herself. She didn't want to anger him. And besides, if it was something that he wanted her to know, he would have told her.

She stiffened beside him as she caught her first whiff of blood as a man rushed past them on the sidewalk. It took everything within her not to turn and chase him down. It smelled better than anything that she'd ever smelled before. Even her mother's roast beef couldn't compare with the fragrant bouquet that lingered in her nostrils.

She groaned in hunger as her throat constricted in pain. "I know," her companion soothed from beside her. "A few more steps and we can get you what you need."

She followed him down the sidewalk and into a tavern. She stood still as he scoped out the place. She felt like was assaulted from all sides as the aroma of the human patrons filled her nose. Saliva pooled in her mouth. She struggled with herself to remain in control. She could do this. She would not break. She followed him stiffly as he led her over to the bar. He ordered two drinks and sat them down beside a man who was nursing a glass of what looked like whiskey.

"Watch me," he whispered.

She did as she was told, watching carefully as he caught the stranger's eyes. She noticed the glazed look that they took on as Draco spoke. " Come with me."

He put the money on the bar for their drinks and for the man's and then led her from the bar, the man following along behind them willingly.

Draco led them back to the alley before he turned and told the man to stand next to the wall. He did as he was told with no reluctance.

Draco turned to her and cupped her cheeks with his hand. "Now, let your instincts guide you. You'll know where to bite and if you listen to his heart, you can stop when it slows down and he'll be fine. Lick the wound clean with your saliva and close the wounds. Then I want you to practice what I showed you in the bar."

She nodded her head and he released her. She moved in front of the man slowly. He smelled good. So good that her mouth was watering. She moved closer and gripped his shirt as she licked his neck slowly. Her eyes zeroed in on the artery that pulsed beneath his skin.

She opened her mouth and pierced his skin with her fangs. Her eyes rolled back into her head as her mouth filled with her first mouthful of blood. It was heavenly. She drank deeply. Moaning as the man beneath her graoned and thrust his pelvis against her.

She most certainly wasn't expecting that. She growled as Draco laughed behind her. Why didn't her warn her? Prat.

She slowed her sucking reluctantly as she both heard and felt his heartbeat falter. She licked the wound clean slowly, lapping up all the blood. Pulling away, she caught the man's lust filled gaze.

"This didn't happen tonight. You don't know who I or my companion are and you've never seen us before. Go home and get some rest. Take some iron and vitamin B for the next two weeks."

She watched as the man stumbled from the alley and went back the way that they'd come. She turned around to look at the amused vampire behind her.

"You," she accused.

"Bravo," he said merrily. "You did wonderfully for your first time."

Ignoring his praise completely, she stalked toward him, pressing him against the building. "Why didn't you tell me that feeding would have that effect?"

He smirked and spun her effortlessly so that she was the one pressed against the brick of the building. "I didn't think it was necessary. I told you before that a vampires bite could be painful or pleasurable. You did that all on your own. But, while we're on the subject, you are positively stunning when you feed."

He punctuated his statement by rolling his hips into hers and pressing his prominent arousal into her belly. He leaned down and captured her lips in an explosive kiss as he disaparated them on the spot.

End Note: So, thoughts? I love reviews and that is the only reason I continued to publish on ffnet. I was going to abandon posting on this site at all, but I have so many readers that follow me here and the other sites have no way of sending an email alert when I do update. I figured, I'd use their alert system and if readers want the unedited version, they can read it one of the other sites. Leave me some love... I will be uploading chapter 18 later today.


	18. Chapter 18

A/N: So, in case you all were wondering, this is version 2.0 0f this story. The original was deleted due to content. The only thing I can guess is that someone reported me since they don't actively screen posts. So, from here on out, I will be editing out the naughty bits. If you come to spot and suddenly... That means that I took something out. It may be only a bit of a chapter or almost the whole chapter. I do have this story posted on three other sites, adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, and archive of our own. You can read the unedited version there. My penname on those sites is cullens_pet. I will also put a note at the beginning of each chapter that has been edited for content to let you know beforehand. It sucks having to do things this way, but I still wanted my loyal followers to receive email notifications when I update. **This chapter has been edited for content.** Thanks for reading.

Chapter 18

"Do you have any idea?" Draco groaned as they landed on his soft bed. "How bad I wanted to push you to the ground and fuck you right there in that dirty alley."

He pressed her deeper into the mattress as he nuzzled her neck and stroked the area between her thighs. Hermione groaned and bucked against him, unable to temper her reaction. She was so aroused and still slightly heady from her first feeding. It was not unlike feeling slightly drunk.

She should have been shoving him off of her and screaming to high heaven what a pervert he was. But she found that she couldn't. She was mildly horrified to discover that she didn't want to push him off her at all. She wanted him. She craved his touch.

"What have you done to me?" she whispered as he shredded her clothes from her body. His haste to get her naked was going to be detrimental to her meager wardrobe.

He kissed up the side of her neck, biting her roughly under her ear. She whimpered before he sucked on the sore skin, soothing away the pain with his tongue. "You are a vampire now, love," he answered as he came to her lips. Kissing her deeply, she moaned into his mouth as his fang pierced her lips. He lapped hungrily at the wound before he continued. "You'll find that your libido will be greatly increased. Feeding and fucking often go hand in hand for us. You'll always become aroused during and after a meal."

She appreciated his candidness. She also began to understand why he had treated in such a terrible way before he had turned her. She began to realize that he really couldn't help himself. Especially now that she was feeling the same way.

She used her strength to flip them so now she was the one hovering over him. She took the opportunity to take control away from him. She straddled his body and tore his shirt away. She attacked him with a fervor that she'd never felt before. She felt so wild and out of control. She licked his neck and danced her tongue down his sculpted body, making sure to pay him back in kind for his love bites earlier. Although they did heal, that didn't stop them from hurting momentarily before the wound closed.

And he liked them, if his moans were anything to gauge by. She smiled wickedly as she ripped his pants from him and threw them across the room. She could definitely get used to her newfound strength. She rather liked it.

She stroked...

End Note: Yeah, most unsatisfying. I guess I'll just have to get used to it. I don't want to get banned from this website completely. Be sure to leave me some love or to visit me at the other websites and leave me some love there. I'll see you Tuesday...


	19. Chapter 19

A/N: thanks again for everyone's unwavering support of this story. This chapter is posted in its entirety on this site but you can also read it on adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop and, archive of our own.

Chapter 19

Draco ignored her completely after he told her to get dressed. He told her that he had to take her to Dumbledore and explain what he had done. She was anxious about the meeting for several reasons. Draco had closed off his end of the bond after she'd felt his embarrassment. She couldn't get a read on him at all anymore. She wished that she could feel whether he was as worried as she was about meeting Dumbledore.

She was afraid that he would cast her out. Hogwarts had been her only home in the wizarding world. Where would she go if he told her to leave? Another problem was her lack of complete control over her appetite. She didn't want to accidentally kill her Head Master.

Questions swirled in her mind as Draco opened the door to the room she'd been held captive in. She watched curiously as he pierced one of his fingers with his fang and rubbed it on the doorknob.

Blood wards.

No wonder the handle had burned her when she tried to leave. She wondered if she could use her blood now to open the door since technically it was Draco's blood in her now. It was definitely something that she would explore at a later time. If she was allowed to remain at the castle.

"Come," he called as he stepped out of the door.

Hermione followed obediently behind him. He'd already demonstrated that he could make her do as he pleased. There was no sense in trying to defy him. Especially on something so trivial.

She looked around curiously as they exited the suite. His quarters were in the dungeons, as she had suspected, although they were at the opposite end of the corridor from the Slytherin dormitories. They were actually just past the potion's classroom. She had a feeling that Snape's own quarters were nearby.

She turned and watched as the door melted back into a rough stone wall. There was no way to tell that there had been a door there at all. It was a clever piece of magic.

She followed the lithe blond in front of her as they climbed flight after flight of stairs. She was pleased to note that she was not out of breath by the time they reached the main landing and the gargoyle that guarded Dumbledore's office.

Draco muttered the password and she followed him as the gargoyle sprang aside to allow their entry. Her nose wrinkled at the thought of his password, Cockroach Cluster. You couldn't pay her to eat one of those as a human. Now the name made her shudder. Disgusting.

She stopped as Draco knocked on the door to Dumbledore's office. She was tense, literally a ball of nerves as she waited in the semi-darkness. She heard the old Headmaster call for them to enter. She stepped carefully into the office behind Draco.

"Ahh,"Dumbledore greeted them. "I've been expecting you. Have a seat Draco. Have a seat Hermione. What can I do for you?"

Hermione looked at him quizzically. How was he expecting them? She knew that the old man seemed to know everything that went on in the castle but she had not expected him to know anything about this. That could mean that he knew Draco had held her captive in his dorm.

Hermione's eyes narrowed as he looked at them expectantly. She looked into his eyes and was shocked by what she heard. She could hear his thoughts. He was pleased that everything worked out according to plan. He was pleased that he had made the decision not to interfere. He knew what Draco had done to her. He knew all year that Draco would turn someone. In fact, he'd subtly nudged him in her direction.

She saw red. "You," she accused quietly as she stood from her chair in a flash. "You knew! How could you?"

She flew at the old man in a rage before she realized what she was doing. She felt arms wrap around her like steel bands and wrestle her away from the meddling old man. She raged against her captor. She would make him pay. He seemed to like to toy with everyone's life, especially Harry's. He would do it no more.

"Hermione," Draco called out as he struggled to hold her. She was furious. How dare he? "Hermione, I command you to calm down and sit in your chair. Tell me what the problem is."

Hermione's eyes filled with bloody tears as her shoulders slumped in defeat. It wasn't fair. She sagged into her chair and covered her eyes with her hands. She was mortified by her behavior. She would have killed Dumbledore if Draco hadn't intervened. Her throat started to close up.

She breathed deeply and then answered his question. "He knew. He knew all year that you were going to make another vampire. He knew that you took me from the forest and yet he did nothing to intervene. He's been secretly steering us together all year."

Draco looked at her calculatingly. Then he turned to Dumbledore. "Is that true?" he asked quietly.

Dumbledore smiled. "I think the question that you should be asking is how does she know? How did she come by this information?"

Draco turned back to her. Hermione reigned in her chaotic emotions. "I heard him. I heard his thoughts."

Draco turned back to Dumbledore. "Don't you see," he said gently as he handed her a handkerchief. "You are telepathic now, Hermione. Even the strongest Occlumens couldn't keep you out."

"How?" she asked as she wiped the blood from her face.

"Some vampires develop extra senses or powers. More than likely, mind magic was something that you excelled with as a witch. It's been amplified by your change," he explained as he looked at her over his glasses.

"You want us to fight for the order," she stated simply as she plucked the thought from his mind.

"Yes," he confirmed. "Voldemort has been gaining power. I recently came across some disturbing information. Tell me, do you know what a horcrux is?"

"He made a horcrux?" Draco asked incredulously.

"He didn't make just one. He made at least six, maybe even seven," Dumbledore answered gravely.

Hermione looked into Dumbledore's mind and shivered violently as she discovered just what a horcrux was. It was insidious.

"So, you want us to get close to Voldemort and find out just where and what these horcruxes are?" she asked.

"It's of the utmost importance," Dumbledore nodded sagely. "He cannot be killed until we destroy all the pieces of his soul. And by get close, I mean you can be at some distance and still hear his thoughts. He won't even know you were there."

Hermione looked at Draco. She didn't know what side he was on. She had thought, since his father was a Death Eater, that he would eventually be one to. But Dumbledore trusted him enough to disclose all this in front of him.

"What do you think?" she pushed her question silently into his mind and watched as surprise bloomed across his features. He looked at her with something akin to pride etched into his face. He nodded slightly, giving her the go ahead.

She turned to Dumbledore. "We'll do it."

Dumbledore smiled broadly. "I knew that you would make the right choice. Now, as to other matters, do not worry about your place within Hogwarts. You will always have a place here."

"Thank you, sir," Hermione answered. "Can I ask a question?"

Dumbledore smiled merrily, "I'm not sure that you really need to ask, but by all means, ask away. Ask away."

Hermione pursed her lips. "Well, it's just…. I can't smell you."

"Ahhh…" he smiled warmly. "A dampening spell, designed to limit the sense of smell. Enclosed space and all. Do not fret, dear. I'm sure you'll be fine around your friends."

"What?" she asked before clearing her throat. "What are we going to tell them? I look different. I sound different. They're going to notice that something happened to me."

"Irreversible potion's accident," he answered. "Altered your appearance, aging you, and tying you irrevocably to young Draco here. I know things will be bumpy at first, especially with young Mr. Weasley, but they will come around."

Hermione nodded and she stood with Draco ready to leave. "I'll be in contact," Dumbledore stated. "We'll start your missions in a few weeks time. In the meantime, learn all you can from Draco, Miss Granger. We are going to need all the help we can get."

End Note: So, thoughts? Do you like Hermione's special power? I thought that since she was adept with obliviation in canon that it would make sense for her extra power to have something to do with the mind. What kind of power should Draco have, if any at all? See you lovelies on Friday!


	20. Chapter 20

A/N: Here's the newest installment for your viewing pleasure. This chapter does not have anything edited out.

Chapter 20

Hermione lay awake far into the night. There were too many thoughts and questions swirling in her mind to even attempt to close her eyes.

Why did they sleep at all? They were daywalkers, like the fictional vampires from the muggle book Twilight. Thank Merlin they didn't sparkle. She didn't think she could have handled that. The vampires in the book didn't sleep. But those vampires were entirely fictional.

Everything that she'd ever read about vampires pointed to the fact that they were creatures of the night. Was that supposed fact completely wrong? She really wanted to get her hands on a book so that she could learn more about what she'd become. It seemed dangerous to stay ignorant of the things she could or couldn't do.

The fact that she could now read the minds of those around her really threw her for a loop. She hadn't expected to be able to do anything out of the ordinary. She wondered if there was something that Draco could do that other vampires couldn't do.

She glanced at the blond sleeping beside her. She furrowed her eyebrows as she studied his features. He really was a handsome devil. She wanted to know more about him but he was so distant and aloof. She thought that it was probably a product of his upbringing. She hoped that maybe she could thaw his icy façade over time. Time was all she had now.

Her eyes traced the contours of his face as he slept on, blissfully unaware of her scrutiny. She wondered why she couldn't read his mind. His was the only magical mind that she hadn't been able to read. She wasn't sure if it was because she was mated to him or if it was because he was her maker. She wanted to know the circumstances of his own turning. She wanted to know who his maker was. Surely they were all tied together now.

She sighed as her thoughts turned to her friends. She would tell them Dumbledore's carefully constructed story, but she hated the fact that she had to lie. She didn't want to mislead her friends but it was too dangerous for them to know the truth. At least for now.

She could only imagine their reactions when she told them that she was tied to Malfoy. Ron probably wouldn't speak to her for weeks. Harry was a little more level-headed. She hoped that he could see sense.

She was also worried about her control. She hadn't been in a situation where she had to be without Draco there to stop her from hurting someone. She would never forgive herself if she hurt one of her friends.

She worried all night until dawn and was drawn from her musings only when Draco stretched and opened his eyes. He took one glance at her and she thought she saw his eyes soften as he regarded her.

"You didn't sleep, did you?" he asked.

She shook her head in response and looked at the wall across the room sullenly.

"Your afraid of what your friends will say?" he pressed.

"Not so much of what they'll say," she replied as she walked to the closet. She gathered her clothes and walked back into the main room. "It's more that I'm afraid that I won't be able to control myself. I'm afraid that I'll hurt someone."

She stood there, trembling under his flinty gaze. She couldn't read him at all at this point. She was almost disappointed that she couldn't feel his emotions through their bond. She wondered why he could close himself off like that and she couldn't.

"Come here," he said finally.

She set her things down on the desk and walked slowly over to him. She sat on the bed next to him as he sat up. "You're very controlled for someone so new. You managed to feed and not kill for your first hunt."

"But," she argued weakly. "I wanted to kill him. He smelled so good…"

"Shhh…" he cut her off. He squeezed her shoulders gently. "As your maker, I command you not to feed from anyone within the grounds of Hogwarts."

Draco Malfoy may have been a prick and an asshole most of the time but at that moment, Hermione felt like she just might kiss him. Instead, she reigned herself in and replied with a quiet, "Thank you."

She smiled shyly and gathered her clothes before retreating to the bathroom to clean up. She shut the door, her emotions chaotic. She didn't know what to think of her maker/mate sometimes. How could someone who was so callous and cruel be so gentle and understanding? There was more to Malfoy than meets the eye.

She showered and dressed, having to alter her robes as they didn't quite fit properly any longer. She was going to have to get new clothes. She hadn't gotten much taller, but her figure had definitely changed. She had curves now that she didn't have before.

She left the bathroom and noted that Draco was already dressed. She felt warm under his gaze as he assessed her appearance. She noticed his eyes linger on certain spots.

"Nice work on transfiguring your robes," he complemented as he reached out and fingered her hair. "The next time we go hunting, we'll stop at Diagon Alley and I'll get you some new ones."

"That isn't necessary," she said as she stepped away from him. She spied her book bag in the corner. When did her things get here?

"Of course it is," he replied haughtily. "I'm responsible for you now. I will see to it that you have proper things."

Hermione could feel from the tension coming from him that it was no use arguing with him. He was as stubborn as her. She nodded her acceptance as he opened the door.

"After you," he said as he ushered her out the door.

She wlked down the hallway, side by side with Draco. She could do this. She had to.

End Note: So, any thoughts? It's good to see that Draco is not a complete asshat all the time. Leave me a review, lovelies, and I'll see you Tuesday.


	21. Chapter 21

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews. I can't believe that we are up to chapter 21 already. this chapter does not have any content edited out.

Chapter 21

The trip to the Great Hall didn't last nearly long enough. She knew that there was no use in putting off the inevitable, but she wasn't ready for the confrontation that was about to happen. She hoped that she could convince the guys to leave the Great Hall. She'd rather explain things to them in private, where there weren't so many eyes and ears on them.

She already knew that their sudden appearance in the Great Hall together was going to attract attention. She didn't feel like being there and attempting to explain things while everyone was watching her.

Malfoy reached over and squeezed her hand briefly as they came to the doors. "It'll be alright," he whispered. "Your idiotic friends will understand and I'm certain that you'll be fine around them. You're a natural."

She smiled weakly and released his hand as he opened the doors. She ignored the whispers and the stares as she made her way to the Gryffindor table. It was hard though, as she could hear everything that everyone was saying as well as what they were thinking.

"Why is she walking with Malfoy?"

"Are they together?"

"That's a sight that you don't see every day."

"Do you think he cursed her?"

"Maybe she fed him amortentia."

"Wow, she looks different."

"She didn't look like that on Friday."

"Wonder what happened to her."

"Look at her hair, beautiful…"

"The things I could do to her…"

Ugh! The last one was Cormac. She could already see that she was going to have to work on some kind of mental shield. He was broadcasting some rather lewd and disgusting thoughts. She trained her eyes on Harry and tried to zero in on him and Ron alone. Although, she could read Ron's suspicion as well as his sudden desire as he took in her appearance. Harry's thoughts were not as loud and his concern was endearingly etched into his face as well as in his thoughts.

She sat slowly across from them and politely cleared her throat. They did smell good, but she found that she didn't want to drink from them. Her throat did burn but not as badly as she'd suspected that it would. She looked up and locked eyes with Malfoy across the hall. The tiny dip of his head signaled that she had his approval. She was doing alright. She could feel his pride thrumming through their bond.

"Hermione," Harry began softly. "I've been so worried about you. Where've you been all weekend? I haven't seen you since Friday in the forest."

"Harry," she began.

"No," he cut her off. "You haven't been on the map either. I've been so worried. Especially when Ginny said you hadn't returned to Gryffindor tower."

Ron was still silent, so she took the plunge. "Can I talk to you guys in private?" She looked pointedly around the room at all the people staring at them.

Harry was contrite as he wiped his mouth with a napkin and folded it. "Yes. You're right," he conceded as he rose form the table.

Hermione stood and walked out of the hall followed by Harry and Ron. She worked hard to block out all the things being said and thought about her. This was going to be more difficult than she thought.

She took them to an empty classroom down the hall. She locked the door behind them and cast a silencing spell. She turned to face her two best friends.

"I didn't come back to Gryffindor tower Friday because Snape caught me leaving the forest," she explained slowly.

"Blimey," Ron said. "Snape caught you?"

"Hermione, I'm so sorry," Harry apologized.

She waved him off. "It's not your fault," she said simply. "He gave me detention to be served that night. The punishment was that I had to help Malfoy brew his extra credit potion."

"Malfoy gets extra credit in potion's?!" Ron thundered.

Hermione laughed weakly. "You seem surprised," she stated matter-of-factly. "Anyway, that's not the worst of it. I'm sure you've noticed my appearance?"

She knew they had, as she could read their thoughts. But she had to keep in mind that they didn't know that she could do that.

"Yes," Harry affirmed. "You look different. Older."

She nodded her head. "There was an accident. It aged me about three years."

"Three years!" Ron whispered. "So, that means you're eighteen."

"Nineteen," she clarified. "I used the time turner enough third year to tack on an extra year. But that's not the worst part."

"What's the worst part?" Harry asked. "What could be worse than losing three years of your life?"

She was humbled by the concern floating in his mind. She could also hear the faint stirrings of guilt. She took a deep breath and plunged in. "I've been magically bonded to Malfoy. Like a marriage, but much stronger."

"Marriage!" Ron roared outraged. "Surely they can reverse it!"

"No," she said sadly. "That's where I've been all weekend. They took both of us to St. Mungo's in an effort to reverse the effects. It can't be done. The top specialists in the field all tried. The effects are permanent."

Harry looked decidedly ill. Ron stood gaping like a fish. She continued on, desperate to be done with this conversation. She hated lying to her friends. "I have to stay with Malfoy now. It causes both of us physical pain to be away from the other for too long. I won't be coming back to Gryffindor tower. Dumbledore has given us a dorm to ourselves."

Ron turned puce. "You mean, you're living with him? Like as in a couple? Are you fucking him?"

Hermione trembled as she fought to hold back her tears. They would give away what had truly happened to her. She tried to block out all the ugly things he was thinking. She couldn't make herself answer the question. He took her silence as an affirmative answer.

"Whatever," he muttered as he turned and unlocked the door. "I hope you enjoy being a death eater's whore. Before he turns you over to you-know-who that is."

She exhaled deeply as he stomped out of the room. She knew that he would react like this. It didn't make it hurt any less though.

"I'm really sorry, Hermione," Harry muttered as he pulled her in for a hug. "This is all my fault."

"No," she whispered, as she melted into his embrace. "It's not anyone's fault. I've just got to do my best to live with it."

"If it makes you feel any better," he said impishly as he pulled back and looked her in the face. "Just imagine Lucius Malfoy's face when he hears that his precious son has been tied to you permanently."

Hermione did laugh at that, mindful to keep her fangs retracted. He would be furious. But then, that would be the least of his concerns since Malfoy was going to be actively working for The Order of the Phoenix.

End Note: So... what do you think? Did i do them justice? Please, keep the reviews and comments coming. It saddens me that this was deleted and I lost the almost 600 reviews that you lovely people already left. I'm not even sure if anyone is even still reading this on this site. See you Fri!


	22. Chapter 22

A/N: Friday, it's Friday! Haha, this chapter is unedited for your viewing pleasure.

Chapter 22

Hermione worked hard in all of her classes to keep a low profile. She had been the center of a lot of speculation, especially after hers and Malfoy's classes were altered so that they shared almost the same schedule.

No longer did she volunteer all the answers. She spent most of her time strengthening the shield in her mind. She found that she could do several things at once. She could take notes and work on her telepathy at the same time. She was getting better at blocking out the endless chatter around her.

She was also making progress on her control of her thirst. She hadn't felt like she was going to rip anyone's throat.

Yet.

Although she'd been tempted more than once to get rid of Cormac McLaggen, but that had nothing to do with the way he smelled. It was more the fact the he was a disgusting pervert. His thoughts were rather inventive. She had to give credit where credit was due, he had very active imagination. She shuddered as she recalled a scenario that he had conjured in which she flung herself at him, professing her undying love.

Undying.

It made her glad that it was Malfoy that she was tied to and not him. At least she could tolerate Malfoy. Cormac would have been unbearable. Needless to say, she tried to avoid Cormac like the plague. He was one of the few that she absolutely couldn't block out just yet.

She sat mostly by herself at meal times, which was alright since it meant that she didn't have to explain her lack of appetite. People were giving her a wide berth, mostly due to the things Ron had told them. News of the potion's 'accident' had spread but Ron had put his own spin on things, stating that she couldn't be trusted to tell the truth, that she was consorting with the enemy.

And the whispers continued about her and Malfoy and the exact nature of their 'relationship'. She did her best to ignore the stares and dirty looks from her classmates. Harry sat with her every other day. She didn't blame him though. He was torn between his two best friends. She was just glad that he didn't abandon her completely, although she was sure that it was his misplaced guilt that made him still sit with her. He blamed himself for talking her into going into the forest with Hagrid.

On the days Harry didn't sit with her, Draco sat with her. That really caused a stir, especially since they were sitting at the Gryffindor table. It was comical to see Ron's face on those days. At any rate, the days were passing slowly. She was looking forward to the weekend. She needed to hunt and they were supposed to go on their first mission.

Friday afternoon, Hermione skipped her last class. It was unlike her, but she was desperate. Her throat was on fire. It had been too long since she fed. Draco found her in their dorm.

"There you are," he said as he dropped his bag on the desk. "I was worried when you didn't come to Binns' class."

"Thirsty," she said quietly, not meeting his gaze. She felt ashamed by her weakness, like she was a failure.

"Oh," he said quietly. He walked to her and wrapped his arms around her, comforting her. "I forget how new you are. It's normal, love. You will need blood more often in the first few months. That is my fault. Why didn't you say something?"

"I don't want to be weak," she confessed quietly.

"It's not weak," he stated as he tucked her face against his neck and rubbed her back soothingly. "It's what you are. We can't leave Hogwarts during the week, so you will feed from me. You will tell me next time your thirst begins to bother you."

Hermione nodded her acceptance. He didn't formally command her but it was a command none the less. She was getting used to his high handed ways.

"Are you ready?" he asked. "We will hunt and then do as Dumbledore instructed."

Hermione nodded once more and Malfoy disapparaated them from the castle.

They landed in the same alley as before. This time, Hermione followed behind him without any questions. They entered the same pub but this time, Malfoy allowed her to pick her own prey. She glamoured the muggle flawlessly and followed the man to the bathroom. She fed quietly, bespelling the room for privacy. She drank her fill and released the man after making him forget about their encounter. She exited the bathroom and rejoined Malfoy at the bar.

"Well done," he praised quietly. "I've never thought to take them to the bathroom."

"Easier," she said quietly. "I cast a silencing charm and a privacy spell."

"Wandlessly?" he asked curiously.

"Of course," she replied.

"Impressive," he muttered. "My turn."

She waited as he found his mark, a sad looking woman at the other end of the bar. She waited as he lured her to the bathroom. She smiled to herself, pleased that she'd taught him a new trick. Moments later, the woman came tottering out of the room and resumed her place at the bar. Malfoy walked out a few moments later.

"Let's go," he said as he grasped her hand.

They walked back to the alley and disappeared once more.

This time when they landed, she didn't recognize where they were. She looked at him questioningly. "We are just at the boundary of my family's property. If anyone knows where old snake face is, it's my father."

They walked along quietly, treading carefully through the shadowy forest. Hermione was surprised that she could see just as well during the night as she could during the daylight. They stopped as they neared the edge of the forest. She could feel the wards thrumming around the property. She could just see the lights from Malfoy Manor in the distance.

"We can't cross the wards," Malfoy explained quietly. "But only because my mother and father would be alerted to our presence. The wards are keyed to notify the occupants that anyone has breached the wards, even if they are family."

Hermione nodded. They most certainly didn't want anyone to know that they were here. She concentrated on the house, trying to pick out any minds within.

"Can you hear anything?" he asked after a moment.

She nodded. "Yes, your aunt is there, along with your father and mother."

"And," he prompted.

"The dark lord is at your aunt's house, for now," she reported.

Draco pulled her close once more and they disappeared once more into the ether.

End Note: So, thoughts? This story is going to be several chapters longer than I first anticipated. But I think no more than forty. Leave me some love and I'll see you on Tuesday.


	23. Chapter 23

A/N: Thanks again for all the awesome reviews. This chapter is here on this site in its entirety. Sorry this is so late today. I fell asleep right after the kids left for school. It was a hard night at work last night.

Chapter 23

Draco pulled her forward when they landed. He pulled her into some low lying hedges, concealing them from any eyes that might be guarding the property. The land surrounding Lestrange Manor was devoid of vegetation. The landscape was sparse when compared to that of the Malfoy's.

They were out in the open other than the hedge that they were crouched in. "My aunt blasted away all the trees and bushes after she broke out of Azkaban," he explained quietly. "She's paranoid and didn't want anyone to be able to sneak up unannounced. She cares little for appearances anyway."

Hermione nodded and scanned the interior of the house. She found three minds, one being the darkest mind that she'd ever had the displeasure to encounter. She thought Cormac's thoughts were disgusting, the Dark Lord's were revolting. It was a good thing that she could no longer throw up. She shivered as she sifted through the blackness of his thoughts.

Draco ran his hands up and down her arms as she shuddered once more. He truly was a monster. She could see each time that he fragmented his soul. She counted six times and committed the objects to memory. She catalogued a seventh time that was questionable. She would have to look more into that.

She hoped that it wasn't the case. She prayed to any god that was listening that it wasn't true. She would be devastated if it was. As would the whole wizarding world.

"We can go," she whispered quietly. She rested quietly in Draco's arms as he pulled them into the blackness once more.

They reappeared in Diagon Alley. Hermione looked at Draco confusedly. "I promised you some new clothes," he replied to her silent question.

"But," she protested as he led them down the alley.

"But nothing," he interrupted before she got going. "I insist. I want to do this. Besides, the castle is dead boring. Admit it, even you are bored. School is too easy. Especially when it only takes minutes to do what used to take hours. Besides, there are some things in Knockturn Alley that we need."

Hermione nodded and allowed him to pull her further into the alley. He stopped in front of Harper's Hotel. It was the nicest hotel in the alley. "We'll stay here for the night," he explained as he led her inside.

She followed him and allowed her eyes to travel around the lobby. She'd never been here before. She only ever stayed at the Leaky Cauldron. While the rooms there were nice enough, they were very spartan and not at all Malfoy's taste. This place oozed luxury. The walls had gilded wallpaper and the floor was made of tile that was inlaid with more gold.

It was almost too rich for her taste but she said nothing as Malfoy checked them in. It wouldn't matter if she complained anyway. Malfoy did what Malfoy wanted. Besides, there was no use arguing with someone that could command you to do whatever he wanted.

She allowed herself to be led to the elevator and they were in their room in no time at all. She walked passed Malfoy and entered the bathroom. She needed a bath. She felt dirty after having been in the Dark Lord's mind.

She washed herself thoroughly, scrubbing her skin twice to be sure. Her mind drifted back over what she'd encountered in the mind of that madman. He certainly was a monster of the highest caliber. He made his first horcrux by killing his own father. She saw his childhood. It hadn't been easy. In fact, it was eerily similar to Harry's own childhood. In fact, in some instances it was better. At least at the orphanage, Tom had his own bed and he was fed three times a day. Harry had lived in a cupboard and was lucky if he got to eat once.

And yet, Harry wasn't a monster. Harry was good and kind and fair. She couldn't pin the blame totally on his childhood. She'd wondered if perhaps his mother had used a love potion on the Dark Lord's muggle father. If she had, that could have twisted him in some way. Either way, it was going to be extremely hard to defeat him.

She finished up and dried her hair with her wand. Then she gave her clothes a good scourgify before she out them back on. She found that now that she didn't sweat, her clothes didn't feel nearly as dirty. It would be nice to have a few new things. Some clothes that fit her new body.

She was still getting used to it. She hadn't gotten much taller but she had filled out. She liked the change. Her hair was easier to manage. Her breasts had become bigger. And she had hips.

She exited the bathroom and found Draco laid out on the bed, his hands laced together behind his head. She went to the other side of the bed and sat down facing the wall. They sat in silence for a few minutes before he turned to her.

"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked.

She looked at him a moment before she laid down next to him. "No," she said quietly. "I'm already having a hard time banishing some of those images from my mind. Let's just say that we are going to have quite the fight on our hands. It's a fight that I'm not sure that Harry can win, despite what Dumbledore says. And there's something else that I'm sure that he's holding out on. I plan to get some answers tomorrow when we return to the castle."

He nodded his head before he reached over and pulled her close to his chest. She relaxed against him when it became clear that he wasn't trying to bed her. She was in no mood for intimacy. Not when she believed that her best friend was a horcrux.

End Note: So, thoughts. Leave me some love, my rabid readers. I'll see you Friday.


	24. Chapter 24

A/N: Thanks again for coming and reading my creation. Just a few note, I've had a question as to how Hermione knows that Harry is a horcrux when Voldemort didn't know himself. She doesn't know for sure but she saw his memories of the night he killed Harry's parents. She can see the parallels in the other instances when he knowingly created a horcrux. This is why she believes that he is one. Hopefully this chapter will clarify things a bit better. Also, this chapter has not had anything edited out.

Chapter 24

They returned to school around midday on Sunday. It was early enough that they could still meet with Dumbledore. Hermione was anxious to get in to see the Headmaster. She would have come first thing in the morning but Draco had insisted that they do some shopping.

She had never purchased so much clothing at one time. She thought that he might just get her a few robes but she was sadly mistaken. He'd purchased enough things to fill the wardrobe back at Hogwart's. He'd bought her an arm load of undergarments. He bought things that she herself never would have bought for herself but she admired them anyway. She just never saw the need for her under things to be lacy and pretty. No one ever really saw what was under her clothes.

And the amount that he had spent was outrageous. She had argued with him for almost an hour over the amount of galleons he had spent. She didn't really need all those things, she could manage with a few sets of robes and a few changes of clothes. He had finally commanded her to be silent and he paid for the piles of clothing.

Hermione seethed silently as the sales clerk bagged everything up. He hadn't stopped at just clothing. He'd also visited the jewelry shop in the alley and had bought necklaces, bracelets, and rings. He'd visited Gringotts as well and removed even more jewelry from the Malfoy vaults. He'd also let her pick out some rare books that he had stored there. She'd rather appreciated the books. Some were so rare, that she'd never seen them in print before.

After he'd sent her packages back to Hogwart's, he'd led her down the dark passage that led to Knockturn Alley. She wanted to ask what he needed to get here, but she kept her mouth shut. She didn't want to attract any unwanted attention. It wouldn't do for one of Voldemort's spies to report back to him that the young Malfoy heir was seen cavorting around with the wizarding world's most infamous muggleborn.

She waited for him in the alley at his behest when he entered Borgin and Burkes. She waited for him nervously and kept her eyes on the ground as she leaned against the brick wall on the side of the store. She had heard Fenrir Greyback in the next store over. She didn't want to draw the werewolf's attention. He would immediately know her for what she was.

She jumped slightly, startled as Draco appeared at her side. "Come," he said. "We must go before Fenrir leaves Madame Tulle's."

Hermione shuddered slightly as he disapparated them silently. The werewolf scared her even though she knew that she'd be more than a match for him should it ever come to a fight. He was bad news, plain and simple. He didn't think of his condition as a curse, he reveled in it. He regularly hunted children so that he could increase the size of his pack. He had been the one to infect Remus.

Hermione stepped away fro Draco the moment their feet touched the floor of their dorm. She was eager to meet with Dumbledore. She needed answers. Draco sensed her need and followed her without argument as she made her way to the Headmaster's office right away. She was grateful that he didn't try to stop her. She had to know.

She whispered the password and followed the winding stairs up into the office. She knocked and entered as she heard him beckon from within.

She stood before him and peered into his eyes for a moment before she lowered herself into a chair. Draco took a seat as well as she read the old man's mind. There was nothing of importance so she decided to bait him a little, to try and lead him into a conversation in the hopes he would let slip what she wanted to know. She wasn't one hundred percent sure that Harry was a horcrux but there were too many elements that were eerily similar the night that Voldemort killed Harry's parents. There were too many things that were parallel to the othere times the megalomaniac had created a horcrux. She was certain that it was something that the madman hadn't intended to happen but merely an unexpected consequence.

"There are six," she said finally. "Possibly seven."

She heard him mentally name off a few in his head. The cup, the ring, the diary that Harry had destroyed, the necklace, and the diadem.

"Nagini," she prompted. She took a deep breath and blew it out slowly. "And Harry."

End Note: So, thoughts? I cherish each and every one of your comments and favorites. It makes my day to see emails in my inbox. Leave me some love peeps and I'll see you Tuesday.


	25. Chapter 25

A/N: Thanks again for all the reviews. I've had some complaints that the chapters are way too short. I've said this before and I'll say it again. This story started out as a drabble challenge. the readers gave me a word or phrase and i wrote a chapter incorporating their suggestion. a drabble is usually only 300-1000 words, so some of these chapters are actually a bit too long, believe it or not. I ended up lengthening this fic from the original challenge but I will not make the chapters longer. All that being said, this chapter is posted on this site in its entirety. Enjoy!

Chapter 25

Hermione watched Dumbledore's face carefully as he processed her words. He was good, she had to give him that as his face remained calm and serene. His thoughts however were a totally different story. They were anguished and perturbed.

"There's no use in hiding it," he said finally. "Not with your ability, dear girl. I had suspected since Harry's second year. Tom's ring had a most peculiar reaction when it was placed near Harry."

Hermione sagged in her chair as he confirmed her worst fears. Harry was a horcrux. Harry would have to die for Voldemort to be killed.

"What do we do, sir?" she asked quietly. She didn't try to hide her bloody tears as they slipped down her cheeks. She didn't want to believe that Harry's life would be forfeit to defeat the madman. It was unfair.

"Well," he mused. "For starters, we are going to have to tell him. I've kept him in the dark for far too long. I had hoped to spare him as much as possible. He's had a very hard life and that is my fault. I've failed him in the past. I put him with his only living relatives to exploit the blood protection that Lily Potter had provided him with and they mistreated him. Abused him even. I don't want to withhold any more from him. He has a right to know."

Hermione nodded her head. She agreed wholeheartedly with his statement. Harry did have a right to know.

"And then," Draco prompted after a few moments of silence.

"And then we research. Hermione has provided us with the information we needed to destroy Tom's horcruxes," Dumbedore stated gravely. "Now we have to search for a way to save Harry."

"Are we going to tell him about me?" Hermione asked.

"We will," Dumbledore answered. "He deserves to know. Not only that, he will curious how we found out about the horcruxes to begin with. Sometimes the truth is the easiest way."

Draco snorted. "Well, this will be dandy. I'm already not his biggest fan and now he will learn that I basically killed his best friend."

Dumbledore smiled kindly. "Yes, well I'm sure his reaction will be rather negative but you need to get over your differences now before the fight really begins. I have no doubt that it will be you three that finally take down the Dark Lord."

"When are we going to tell him?" Hermione asked as she got up from her chair. She was exhausted, mentally and emotionally.

"I'll call a meeting right before the end of term. I'll meet with the three of you before you leave for the summer. I'll be extending an invitation for the three of you to stay at Number 12 Grimmauld Place for the summer. It will make it easier for you to hunt and destroy the other pieces of Tom's soul. We'll tell him everything then. In the meanwhile, do as much research as you can Hermione. I'll be searching as well. There must be a way that we can pull it off."

"Thank you,sir," Hermione stated quietly. "I'll do my best."

Dumbledore smiled warmly. "I know you will. Good luck and good night."

Hermione followed Draco down the stairs, surprised to see that darkness had fallen over the castle already. They glided past the Great Hall, neither of them really up to the task of pretending to eat.

Hermione wanted to go to the library to get a start on her research. She also needed to go to the room of hidden things. One of the horcruxes was there within the castle itself.

"Come with me," Draco entreated as if anticipated her leaving him. "I have something for you back at the dorm."

"You've already given me far too much today," she retorted. "All those clothes and jewelry that I'll never wear. It's ostentatious."

He smirked as he twirled her around. "Ahhh… but this something I know that will tickle your fancy."

Hermione huffed quietly. "Fine… but I'm going to hex you if it's another piece of jewelry or another set of lacy under things. I'm beginning to think that you bought all that stuff for yourself."

"Deal," he smiled as he pulled her along. "And some of those things were for me as much as they were for you."

Hermione watched him as he lead her down the winding staircase. She decided that she rather liked it when he smiled. Not the smirk he usually wore, but an honest to goodness smile. It made him look so much more open and sincere.

He ushered her inside and sat her on the bed. Then he reached into the closet and withdrew the package that he'd picked up from Borgin and Burkes. Hermione raised an eyebrow as he handed it to her to unwrap. She hoped it wasn't something that would harm her. That store had a nasty reputation. She dismissed the thought. Her life was tied to his, he wouldn't harm her on purpose.

She unwrapped it carefully and nearly squealed with delight when she saw what it was. She caressed the cover of the book reverently before she set it aside on the end table. She launched herself at the blond standing across form her and kissed him for all that she worth. Maybe he really did care about her. Maybe he wasn't just using her. The proof was on the end table. The candle light flickered softly across them as she thanked her maker, casting soft shadows on the book _**The Newly Undead's Guide to Everything That You Ever Needed to Know or Didn't Want to Know by Vlad Dracul.**_

End Note:Thoughts? Please, do take the time to review, even if it's just to tell me how much you hate this story. I really do thrive on your reviews. I'll see you Friday!


	26. Chapter 26

A/N: So, we get some questions answered in this chappie. Finally! I wasn't even going to ever reveal who Draco's maker was, but so many of you have asked that I felt that I needed to deliver. This chapter is here on this site in it's entirety.

Chapter 26

Weeks passed and Hermione settled into a comfortable routine. She attended her classes during the week and on the weekend, Draco and her left the castle. Whether they went on a mission for Dumbledore or if they just traveled, they stayed gone for the weekend. Even if they had a mission, it was usually just gathering intelligence so it didn't take they entire weekend.

Draco showed her the world. They traveled to Italy, France, Germany, and Egypt. He took her everywhere that he had ever been with his parents. They spent time getting to know each other better. She learned that Snape had been the one to turn him into a vampire. He had done it after Voldemort had cursed him nearly to death during the summer before fifth year as a punishment to Lucius for failing to find him and get him back into a body. She learned that Draco would have died if Snape had not have acted.

"I didn't know that Professor Snape was a vampire," she admitted. "How come he doesn't smell like one?"

Draco walked with her through the streets of Venice. "It's his special ability," he explained. "He can cloak himself. He can mask his smell, disappear at will, and disguise his appearance. Dead useful considering his role as double spy."

"Do you have a special ability?" she asked curiously. He had never really talked about himself or his maker. Did that make Snape her grand-maker? Like as in grandpa?

Draco nodded as he led her to a gondola. "I can fly," he whispered.

She pursed her lips. "Like on a broomstick? That's hardly special," she chastised.

He laughed and pulled her back against his chest as the boatman pushed away from the wall. "No," he murmured into her ear. "I can fly without a broomstick. It's like your muggle superman."

"What do you know of superman?" she teased.

She felt him shrug his shoulders, "I went through a rebellious phase. I had Blaise smuggle me muggle comic books."

"So you can fly," she mused. "Very useful."

"Cheeky vampire witch," he growled quietly. "I'll admit that it's not as useful as your gift but it's something. Not every vampire has an extra ability."

She hummed in agreement shocked that he'd admitted that her ability was better than his. But then, she found that Draco wasn't exactly what she thought he was either. He was more than the cold-hearted bully that he portrayed at school. He was multifaceted, and a lesson in contradictions. If she was being entirely truthful with herself, she didn't hate him or resent him for trapping her into the life she now led. He'd actually opened up new opportunities for her. The only thing that she really wished was different was her relationship with her friends.

Things had calmed down at Hogwart's and they were no longer everyone's focal point. Well, everyone except for Ron. But she secretly agreed with Draco. He was jealous. But she'd completely written him off. He hadn't made any overtures of trying to repair their relationship. And she'd be damned if she kowtowed to him and apologized. She hadn't done anything wrong.

She was also looking forward to the end of school. She couldn't wait until she could tell Harry everything. It was a weight upon her shoulders. She knew she would feel better if she could confide in someone. She was just worried about his reaction. She had lied to him initially. But Harry was kind and a good friend. He wouldn't abandon her even if he was angry.

She had been researching diligently for answer to the horcrux problem. She wouldn't let Harry die. She wouldn't let him be the sacrificial lamb. She would give him her blood if she had to. He wouldn't be alive as a mortal any longer but her wouldn't be dead either.

She just wasn't sure what he would think when she offered him such a thing. But there would be time for speculation later. That was an absolute last resort, something that she would do if she could find no other solution.

In April, she retrieved the diadem horcrux from the Room of Hidden Things and handed it over to Dumbledore. They watched in silence as Dumbledore struck it with the Sword of Gryffindor. She was terrified to see a black shadowy mist rise from the damaged object, shrieking terribly before it disintegrated before their very eyes.

She trembled beside Draco. That thing had been evil to the core. She could still feel the heaviness in the air around them. Draco put an arm around her, trying to comfort her.

Dumbledore sighed wearily and placed the diadem in his desk alongside the diary and ring. "Not very pleasant, is it?" he asked somberly as he sat in his chair.

"No," she commented as she leaned against Draco. "That wasn't at all what I expected."

"Horcrux's are made of the nastiest and darkest magic that one can conjure. You have to be exceptionally powerful to even make one," he explained. "It's not something that just anyone can do. The fact that Tom has managed to split his soul seven times is even more astonishing. The wraith that has been left behind is not even human. He has no conscience, no morals, no sense of right and wrong. He is far more dangerous than anyone could have ever anticipated. We must move cautiously. We don't want him to get wind that we are destroying his fail safes. He might just make more."

She nodded somberly. "Where do the pieces of his soul go when we destroy a horcux? Do they return to his body?"

"No," Dumbledore answered. "They are sent beyond the veil. They could never find their way back to him unless he was present as we destroyed the horcrux. Even then, I'm not sure you could mend his soul once it's been torn asunder."

"Do you think he can feel it when we kill a piece of his soul?" Draco asked. "Won't that give us away?"

She watched as Dumbledore sat back in his chair. "I'm not sure, young Draco. Let us hope not. He might be tempted to move his remaining horcruxes to a more secure location. Now, on a much lighter note, we'll be meeting with Harry the last week of May. I'll send an owl when I nail down the date and time."

Hermione nodded and stood. She followed Draco down the stairs and back to the dorm, her thoughts scattered. She was ready to tell Harry. She was ready to lift the weight off her chest. She just wasn't sure if she was ready for his reaction.

End Note: I liked this chapter. No sexy time, but that also means that i don't have to edit out any naughty bits. What did you think about Snape being Draco's maker? Or Snape's special power? What about Draco's extra power? Leave me some love!


	27. Chapter 27

A/N: Thanks again for all your reviews. I'm glad that everyone is still enjoying the story. This chapter is posted here in its entirety.

Chapter 27

The end of the school year was looming and their meeting with Harry and Dumbledore was in less than an hour. Hermione was a bundle of nerves. She'd been obsessing over what Harry was going to say for the last month now. She'd had to stop herself on more than one occasion from grabbing him and telling him the truth. She thought it would be better to let Dumbledore explain the bit about horcruxes.

Before she knew it, she was walking with Draco to Dumbledore's office. He squeezed her hand reassuringly as he knocked and then entered the cozy office. Harry was already there but that didn't surprise her. They had a pretty close relationship. She hoped that Harry wouldn't be too hard on the old man for keeping things from him. Dumbledore had done what he had thought was best.

"Ahh…," he greeted them. "There you are Draco and Hermione. Have a seat and we can get started. I'm sure that you're wondering why you're here Harry."

Harry glanced at her and then to Draco before he answered. "Yes, I am. But what are they doing here?" It wasn't said with malice. Only with a burgeoning curiosity. His thoughts were jumbled and confused.

"They are a part of the story I'm about to tell you. The time has come Harry. The time to actively start our fight against Tom and all of his followers. Tell me, dear boy, do you know what a horcrux is?"

Harry glanced again at Draco when Dumbledore mentioned Riddle and his followers. Hermione saw that he was still suspicious of Draco. He thought that he was a Death Eater. "I don't know, sir."

Dumbledore nodded sagely. "Most of the information on them has been lost to time and for good reason. Horcruxes are the result of the foulest, most evilest of all magics. A horcrux is an object in which a witch or wizard hides a piece of their soul. With a horcrux, even if you destroy the person's body, they can still be resurrected."

"Like Voldemort," Harry whispered.

"Yes, Harry. Like Voldemort. But he doesn't have just one horcrux. He had seven."

Harry sat back wide eyed as he processed the information. "How do you make a horcrux?" he asked finally.

"You split your soul. Then you hide one of the pieces in an object of your choosing. It could be anything, from something of great importance or something as innocuous as a regular rock."

"And how do you split your soul?" he asked.

"By committing the ultimate act of evil. Committing murder tears the soul into pieces," Dumbledore explained.

Harry squeezed his eyes shut, the horror of what Dumbledore was saying sinking deeply into his mind. His thoughts were dwelling on the tense Dumbledore had used when he said that Voldemort had seven horcruxes.

"When you say had…?" he asked uncertainly.

Dumbledore nodded gravely. "Yes Harry had. You destroyed one in your second year." He pulled the diary from his desk. "We have destroyed two more." He laid out the ring and the diadem.

"So there are four more?" Harry asked.

"Yes," Dumbledore answered. "There is a locket, a cup, and Voldemort's familiar, Nagini."

"And the fourth?" Harry asked.

Dumbledore stared at him over his half moon glasses, sadness lurking in his watery blue eyes. He was truly regretful of what had come to pass. "It's you, Harry."

End Note:Thoughts? How do you think Harry will take the news? Remember my dear readers, reviews=love. Leave me lots! XD


	28. Chapter 28

A/N: :) Thanks for sticking with my story. The action will pick up again soon. Promise! This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 28

"Me?" Harry asked hesitantly. "I'm a horcrux. You mean to say that I have a piece…" he trailed off as he tried to get a hold on his suddenly turbulent emotions. He gripped the armrests of his chair tightly as he struggled to contain his feelings.

He breathed deeply for a moment before his green eyes flashed open and he pinned his glare on the Headmaster. "You mean to say that I have a piece of that madman inside me?"

"I'm afraid so, Harry," Dumbledore replied wearily.

"How do you know? How long have you known?" he asked steadily.

Hermione shifted in her seat. This could get very ugly very quickly. But they had to tell him. He had every right to know what he was facing.

Dumbledore sat back and pulled his glasses from his face. He polished the small lenses with the purple fabric of his robe before he spoke. "I'm afraid that I've failed you, Harry. I failed your parents and I vowed to help watch you in their stead and I'm afraid that I've let them down. Tell me, what do you know of the night that Voldemort attacked your parents?"

"I only know what has been told to me," Harry answered tightly. "That my father tried to ward him off and that my mother died because she wouldn't stand aside and allow him to kill me."

Dumbledore nodded. "That happened and so much more. Voldemort split his soul when he killed your mother. Part of it vanished into the ether and the other part sought out the only other living thing in the room. You."

"I mean no disrespect, sir, but that didn't answer either of my questions," Harry accused.

"I'm getting there. This is where Hermione comes in," Dumbledore placated.

"Hermione?" Harry asked. "What does she have to do with all this? For that matter, what does Malfoy have to do with this?"

"One thing at a time, my dear boy. Now, do you remember at the end of your second year? After you exited the chamber of secrets, do you remember the ring I placed on my desk?"

"It was the same ring that you have now," he answered, "But what happened to it? Why is it all black and charred like it has been burnt?"

"That's what happened when I killed the piece of Voldemort hidden inside. Now, let me ask you this, do you remember what happened when I placed the ring near you?"

Understanding lit up in Harry's eyes. "You knew then?" he asked quietly.

"I didn't know for certain," the old wizard admitted. "But I had a strong suspicion. Couple that with the fact that you seem to know what he is feeling and the visions that you have been having recently. Then Hermione came along and confirmed it."

"And how did she come to find out for sure?" he asked as he turned in his seat to stare at her. "How do you know for sure?"

Hermione gulped. Now was her moment of reckoning. "There was never a potion's accident Harry."

He looked at her a moment, confusion written all over his face. She decided to make it easy. She released her fangs and Harry flinched as they clicked into place.

"The night in the forest," she began. "The night when Grawp carried me off. Malfoy was the one to find me."

Harry sat back in his chair in shock. "Malfoy's a vampire!" He struggled a moment with his chaotic thoughts. Hermione could hear the whirlwind that was happening inside his mind. "He bit you! He turned you!"

He was on his feet in a flash with his wand out and aimed straight at her mate. Hermione shot to her feet and stood in front of him, shielding him from Harry's wrath. "Please, Harry," she pleaded. "It's not as bad as you think." She'd learned a lot from the book he had gotten her. She learned that he really couldn't control his urge to mate with her and turn her once he'd tasted her blood. He'd struggled with himself the whole year up until that point. But she wouldn't be able to explain all that to Harry and make him understand. They were a different species now altogether.

"Why do you protect him?" he cried. "He stole your life. He killed you!"

"I have no choice but to protect him," she explained gently. "He is my maker and my mate. I'm sorry that I had to deceive you Harry. It wasn't safe for me to tell you at the time. But in the light of everything else that is happening, it's of very little consequence now. Please, put your wand away and sit so that I can tell you everything."

Hermione went on to explain how she found out about her special ability. She told him about the mission to uncover the horcruxes. How she found out where and what they were. She explained how she theorized that Voldemort had made on accidentally the night that he had murdered his parents. She explained how they were keeping tabs on his movements.

"So that's where you've been on the weekends?" he asked quietly. "I did notice, you know. You're my best friend. I knew that there was something that you were hiding from me."

She smiled tightly and wiped a bloody tear form her cheek. "I really am sorry, Harry. This has been eating at me for months. I only hope that you can forgive me."

He smiled slightly at her, although she could see through his attempt to seem happy. He was actually quite depressed. She saw that he knew that there was no way out for him. That he would have to make the ultimate sacrifice.

He turned back to Dumbledore. "There's no way of surviving this war, is there? If I'm a horcrux, I'll have to die in order for someone else to kill him. I'm not really the chosen one."

End Note:...Thoughts? I'm itching to get to all the good parts. The last few chapters have been filler and giving all the background. Then there's the final battle. I have a few twists in store for that as well. Drop me line, leave a review, or if you're reading this on adultfanfiction, TWCS, or AO3 leave a rating or kudos if you don't want to type a remark. Let me know if you're still into my take on vamp Draco.


	29. Chapter 29

A/N:Short chapter this time. But I have to make the breaks where it seems the most appropriate. Thanks for reading and commenting. This chapter is on this site in its entirety.

Chapter 29

"No," Dumbledore said gently. "You are the chosen one, chosen by Voldemort himself. The night he went to your house, the night that he killed your parents, he made the choice. A prophesy was made the year of your birth. It states that 'the one with the power to vanquish the Dark Lord approaches…born to those who have thrice defied him, born as the seventh month dies…and the Dark Lord will mark him as an equal, but he will have a power that the Dark Lord knows not…and either must die by the hand of the other fore neither can live while the other survives.' He could have chosen differently. Both you and Neville Longbottom meet the criteria of the prophesy. It is interesting that he chose you over a pureblood. It shows just how twisted his ideals are."

Harry sat quietly for a minute. Hermione listened as he struggled internally with the information. She wanted to go and hug him, to hold him and try to comfort him. But she wasn't sure what he would do if she were to try such a thing. He may have accepted such a move before, but that was before he learned that she was a vampire.

"So, he chose me," Harry whispered. "But the other part, 'either must die by the hand of the other fore neither can live while the other survives', that means that one of us will die. There is no other solution. I will have to kill him. But I have to kill the piece inside of myself as well."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed solemnly. "If you don't, we chance his return once more. He may even try to take over your body."

"I won't allow that to happen," Harry said fiercely. "I will kill myself before I let such a thing occur. Or one of you will have to do it if you see that he is taking over." He turned to her. "Promise me!" he demanded. "Promise me, Hermione. If you see that he is taking over. If you see that I'm not myself, promise me that you will kill me. I might not be able to do it if he takes control of me."

"Harry…" she trailed off as her eyes welled up with bloody tears. Could she do what he was asking? Could she kill her best friend?

"Promise me!" he shouted. "You must be strong enough if it comes down to it."

"There may be another way, Harry," she whispered. "Drink my blood. Drink before, Harry. Let Voldemort kill you. He won't take any unnecessary chances this time around. Not after what happened in the graveyard. Take my blood, and if you die form the curse, his soul will die as well. But my blood will bring you back."

"Back as what ?" he asked hesitantly.

"As a vampire," Draco answered.

End Note: Sorry about the lateness of this update. It was a rough night at work last night. So review, give me your thoughts. What do you think of Hermione's solution? What do you think will happen? Should I turn Harry into a vampire?


	30. Chapter 30

A/N: Thanks or the lovely reviews last chapter. I *heart* you all big time. This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 30

"A vampire?" Harry whispered.

"It's a last resort, Harry," Hermione explained. "I've been researching and the Headmaster has been looking as well. We haven't found anything yet. But I will continue to look. I won't give up on you, Harry."

Tears shimmered in his green eyes and she heard his gratitude in his thoughts. "There's no need to thank me, Harry. You're one of the most important people in my life. You're like a brother to me. I would die for you."

Harry nodded in gratitude and then swung his gaze around to Dumbledore. "So, what do we do now? Where do we go from here?"

Dumbledore's eyes twinkled as he twirled his beard around his fingers. "We continue to take the fight to him. We gather and destroy the rest of his horcruxes. We continue to monitor their movements and keep abreast of their plans. We continue to hunt for a solution to your horcrux problem. I want the three of you to stay at Grimmauld Place this summer. It's the safest place that I have available. It's unplottable and secret kept. And Sirius can aide you in your quest. The Black library has a fair number of books on dark magic and you might be able to find something there."

"You mean," Harry asked. "That I don't have to go to the Dursley's this summer? I get to stay with Sirius?"

"Harry, I don't want you to go back to the Dursley's ever again unless you want to," Dumbledore answered. "That was a grave mistake on my part. I didn't realize what a jealous shrew your aunt was. I didn't realize just how much she could mistreat someone of her own blood. I was foolish to believe that she could ever treat you as one of her own. The blood protection is inconsequential now, since Voldemort used your blood in his resurrection. There's no point in allowing your muggle relatives to mistreat you any longer. I've taken the necessary steps to have you recognized as an adult in the wizarding world. Sirius should have been your guardian but since he has the status of a fugitive, we can't use him."

"Thank you, sir. I can't express how much this means to me," Harry explained. "I know that I should be angry but having you come out and admit that you were wrong is like a balm to my soul. It means a lot to me that you brought me here to explain everything to me. I've felt like you were keeping things from me in the past and I thought it was because you didn't trust me or something."

"It was never anything like that," Dumbledore said. "I wanted you to have a normal childhood. I didn't think it was fair to burden someone with something so huge while they were so young. I wanted you to experience things that I knew you missed out on when you were taken from the wizarding world. I didn't have the heart to tell you exactly what you were facing when I could see how happy you were for the first time in your short life. But times are changing. He is back and stronger than ever. I couldn't, with good conscience, keep you in the dark any longer. The time has come and it's time to bring an end to this madness, before he gets any stronger. I know that you can do it."

Harry stood followed by Draco and Hermione. "We won't let you down. We will destroy the rest of the horcruxes and when the time come, we will destroy Voldemort for good," Harry said confidently.

Dumbledore smiled. "I have the utmost confidence in you. Tonks and Kingsley will meet you at Kings Cross to take you to Grimmauld Place. I will see you there often myself. We'll chat more this summer and finish what we started."

Harry nodded and they left the office. Hermione walked behind her friend, trying to stay out of his thoughts. She didn't want to invade his privacy but she wanted to know how he felt about all this, how he felt about her new status.

"Harry?" she asked uncertainly.

"Why didn't you tell me the truth?" he asked as he walked. "Do you not trust me?"

"No," she answered automatically. "You've got it all wrong, Harry. I was terrified at first. I didn't know what to think or say. I couldn't let anyone find out. Could you imagine what would happen if some first year wrote home to tell mommy that there was a vampire attending Hogwarts? I know that you would never tell anyone but it was a chance that I couldn't really afford to take. Not only that, it wasn't my secret to tell. It's not as if Draco was announcing he was a vampire from the rooftops."

"About that," he spat and spun on the spot to face them. "How did this happen?" he asked as he gestured between the two of them. "You just happened upon her and decided that she was your mate?"

"No," Draco admitted quietly. "I knew from the start of school. I knew it on the train. I had been fighting it all year long. I was convinced that if I told her she would either hex me into oblivion or run screaming the other way. I'll admit, what I did in the forest was reprehensible and the way that I went about making her my mate wasn't the right way to do things, but I was terrified that she would turn me down. I would have eventually succumbed to madness and put an end to my own existence if that had happened. I regret now the way I went about things but I wouldn't trade her for the world. I'll spend the rest of eternity making it up to her if I have to."

Harry narrowed his eyes as he shrewdly eyed his onetime enemy and rival. "If I ever hear of you hurting her, you won't have to worry about ending your own existence," Harry said darkly. "I'll do it for you."

Draco gulped as the green eyed wizard strode away. He could feel the darkness emanating from Potter in that moment. For that moment, it wasn't hard to realize that there was a piece of the Dark Lord residing within him. He believed that he had just got a glimpse of it.

End Note: So... tell me what you're thinking. I go on vacation at the end next week and I hope to finish writing this story over my break. If I mange to accomplish that, then maybe I'll go back to daily updates. I have quite the writing marathon planned. I want to write the next chapter of What A Malfoy Wants. I need to write my contribution the Breath-of Twilght's Christmas Countdown. I also want to write the prequel to Full Moon. Whew! That's a lot. I might need a vacation from my vacation. Review!


	31. Chapter 31

A/N: Thanks again for all of your constant support. This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 31

The rest of the school year seemed to move by in a blur. Of course, after the meeting with Dumbledore, there were only two weeks left and it passed quickly. Hermione felt as if a giant weight had been lifted from her shoulders. It felt good to have someone other than the staff and Draco to know the truth of what had happened to her. She felt like she could be herself around Harry. It was so hard to keep up appearances all the time.

It really wore her down. She always felt exhausted after a long day at school. She had to remember not to move too fast or pick up something that was too heavy. She had to be mindful of her fangs, to remember to keep them carefully hidden. She had to be cautious and not look anyone in the eye for too long just in case she accidentally glamoured them. Then there was her special ability. That was a whole set of different problems.

She had to constantly remember to not answer someone's thoughts. She'd have a hard time explaining how she knew the answer to something that they'd never even asked. It was a constant battle and a severe drain on her energy. To her humiliation, she still wasn't able to make it through the week without feeding from Draco. She'd make it to Wednesday and not be able to resist caving and feeding from him.

It made her feel terrible. He wasn't much older than herself after all. But he had issued a command and she could nothing other than follow it.

And he knew it and took advantage of it.

His blood was the most potent of aphrodisiacs to her. She could only equate it with the strongest of lust potions. Maybe not even that as she had never ingested a lust potion. She only knew how his blood affected her.

She couldn't help but rub against him as his nectar flowed down her parched throat. And of course he encouraged these activities. He rubbed against her as she clenched her fists in his shirt in a desperate attempt to keep her hands from wandering. She knew what was going to happen and she tried to fight it.

She really did. But she couldn't help herself. And apparently Draco couldn't either. That or he didn't want to. She was betting on the latter. By the time she finished, which was in usually under a minute as she never took very much of his blood, they'd both ripped off the others clothes in a frenzy to get to the bare skin that lay beneath. She couldn't count how many robes Draco had ruined in an effort to get her naked. It didn't matter since his tailor had her measurements. He owled Madam Malkin herself at least once a month to replace the robes that he'd torn beyond repair.

It made her worry slightly what would happen when they left for Grimmauld Place. They had their own dorm here at the school. They would share the house with Harry and Sirius and whoever else just happened to be stopping in. She guessed that silencing spells would work but their lovemaking got rather vigorous at times.

But then again, she would be free to hunt more often when they weren't confined to the school. Of course, they'd still be hunting in muggle London because of the threat from Voldemort but that wouldn't be too much of a challenge since you could walk out of the front door of Grimmauld and be in muggle London.. She often thought that it was odd that a family that hated muggles so much had a front door that led right into the heart of a muggled suburb.

Irony was a strange thing.

All in all, she was looking forward to being away from Hogwarts. Sirius knew what they were. She guessed that he was alright with it since he was still allowing them to come to his home. She could be herself there. She wouldn't have to hide anything.

Then there was the issue of her feelings for Draco. Her emotions were turbulent when it came to him. She could feel her attachment to him, her need to be near him but she also warred with herself over the way that things had come to pass. She couldn't forget how he treated her ever since she came to the wizarding world. She couldn't erase the hurt that he had caused every time that he called her a name or put her down because of her blood.

Again, the irony wasn't lost on her that her blood was what drew him to her and finally caused him to turn her. Then there was the way that he tricked her into their bond. But, even though she remembered all those terrible things, she could feel the link between them strengthening. It confused her immensely. She was trying her best to come to terms with her position as his mate and child. She was trying to come to terms with the fact that she did want him, in spite of the things that he had done. She tried to remember that he was trying to change for the better and that he nothing more than a product of his environment.

She longed to have a girlfriend to confide in. Harry was great for some things but she didn't feel that she could talk to him about her feelings for Draco. The thought of them together already made him uncomfortable. She figured that some things would never change. They'd always be rivals, even though they were on the same side now.

And talking to Draco about it was out of the question. She didn't want to give him any more leverage on her. Not only that, she didn't want him to know about her growing affection towards him. He had a giant ego as it was. He'd be nearly impossible if he found out that she was beginning to genuinely like him.

She left the bedroom and met Draco in the common area. It was time to leave school and set out for Grimmauld Place. She had a feeling that this was the last time that she would see the castle as it was. She had a feeling that the war would come to a boiling point before the next school year started. She knew that things would change immensely in the coming months. Little did she know just how much.

End Note: More filler. Up next the train ride and soon we'll get to meet Sirius again. Things could get interesting. ; )


	32. Chapter 32

A/N: Again, I'd like to thank all of you lovely readers. It is very gratifying to see how well received my writing is. I find more and more as time passes that I write more for the public than I do for myself. So, I give a hearty thanks for your continued support. This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 32

Hermione sat quietly next to Draco watching the scenery pass by. She was glad to be leaving school for awhile. In no reality did she ever believe that she would be glad to leave school. But her education was almost unimportant to her now. It was tedious. She wouldn't be able to have the ministry job that she'd wanted. She was a vampire and she was sure that work could be hard to come by with her condition.

Not only that, it just wasn't challenging to her any more. Her brain remembered things more vividly and in any case, she could just pick the answers out of the professor's head if she wanted to.

Not that she would of course, but the thought was there.

She had worked on her ability and she could now wield her weapon like a finely honed razor, cutting through their consciousness effortlessly to get what she needed to know. She could also block their thoughts easily as well. It was second nature. Which was good since she'd been treated to enough nasty thoughts to last her for the rest of her un-life. Cormac had been a particularly large thorn in her side for the first few months. She'd finally resorted to glamouring him to find her repulsive just so that he would stay away from her. She felt a little bad about it but she'd gotten desperate. She could only deal with so much.

She wished that they could have just apparated over to Grimmauld Place. The train ride just wasn't the same without Harry and Ron. She knew that it was important for her and Draco to be seen as normal students and that entailed riding the train with everyone else, but it just wasn't the same. In her mind, she knew that things would never be the same. She knew that Ron probably would never come around. His hatred of Malfoy was too deeply ingrained, the rivalry too great. She wondered what had happened originally to start the feud between the Malfoy's and the Weasley's. She might take the opportunity over the summer to look it up. She really was curious about wizarding world culture. She often felt that Hogwart's should offer a class for muggleborns to acclimate to the wizarding world and their beliefs. They had a muggle studies class, why not have one all about wizarding culture? She decided that she would talk to Dumbledore about it. It could go a long way to bridging the gap between purebloods and muggleborns. She herself had often felt lost even though she had emerged herself in research about the world that she was joining.

She sighed and shifted in her seat.

"Something wrong, love?" Draco asked quietly.

Hermione turned and gazed at him for a moment. She had to concede that he was a lot different that she would have ever imagined him to be. Ever since the night in the forest, he was different. Maybe it was because he felt more comfortable around her, that he knew that she wasn't out to get him, and he knew that he could trust her. She felt like she truly got to see the real Malfoy, the person that had been there all along but too afraid for one reason or another to show himself.

"There's nothing wrong, per say," she quipped quietly. "Just different."

His eyes softened as he regarded her. "I know," he answered as he smoothed his fingers over her knuckles. "It's different with them not here, isn't it?"

She nodded her head.

"Potter will come around, you'll see," he said confidently.

"It's not even that," she sighed dejectedly. "Harry still loves me and he's not so much mad as he is hurt. I hid something from him. Of all people, I should have trusted him. I would feel the same way if I was in his position. No, I'm just tired of hiding. This is who I am now, Draco. Who we are. Why should we hide?"

"You know why," he answered back softly. "Parents would be up in arms if they knew that Dumbledore knew what we are and allowed us to stay."

"What if I don't want to stay?" she asked hesitantly.

"What are you saying?" he asked, his eyes laced with concern.

"I'm saying that I don't want to return to Hogwart's," she explained, as she squeezed his hand gently. "Whatever happens this summer, whether we fight and win or lose, I don't want to go back in the fall. I want to sit for my NEWTS and then I'm not sure what. Maybe we could travel. Maybe we could do just nothing at all. I'm just tired of the tedium. We aren't like them any longer and I'm tired of hiding."

Draco let out the breath that he'd been holding. Apparently her words had held a different meaning until she explained herself. Surely he wouldn't think that she would end herself knowing that her doing so would end his life as well. She couldn't do that to him.

"We'll do whatever you want," he said. "We can travel. We can do like we've been doing on the weekend only make each trip more an extended stay. You know that I will follow you anywhere."

She smiled softly and kissed the corner of his lips just as the train began to slow down and pull into the station.

"I know."

End Note: Soft, mushy chapter with no cliffy. I know, I'm surprised a little myself. Up next, a little more Sirius action. Pun totally intended. I wonder what he will think of Hermione's new look? ; ) Review!


	33. Chapter 33

A/N: Here's the next installment. I do hope you enjoy. This chapter is on this site in its entirety.

Chapter 33

Hermione and Draco met Albus and Harry on the edge of the platform. In her mind, she'd already stopped calling him Dumbledore or Professor. She wouldn't be returning to school so she was no longer a student. He was her peer. She followed along behind the duo in front of her and ignored the curious looks aimed in their direction. Of course people would wonder what the four of them were doing together. They were the most unlikely of quartets.

She slid into the ministry car beside Draco and laced her fingers with his as they drove away. They had so much to do. Sure, she knew where all the horcruxes were and what they were, but it didn't make the task seem any less daunting. Getting the cup from Bellatrix's vault at Gringott's would be no easy feat. And neither would be getting to Nagini. They had a long uphill road in front of them.

Then of course there was Harry. She didn't know if she could willingly kill her friend if it came down to it. She just hoped that it wouldn't come down to that.

They sped toward Grimmauld Place and got there sooner than she expected. There was definitely something to be said about the features on a magical car. They could squeeze thru traffic and cloak themselves from prying eyes as they traveled far faster than the normal car.

She got out and stood next to Draco as Albus told them that this was the location of Number 12 Grimmauld Place. She watched as the house slowly materialized in front of them, squeezing itself from in between two muggle homes. It amazed her that they could be so oblivious. The ground shook and windows rattled as the house showed itself. Magic really did never cease to amaze her.

She followed behind Harry with Draco bringing up the rear, his hand on the small of her back protectively. She was rather nervous to meet Sirius again. She hadn't seen him since her third year. She knew that he was a lady's man and she could only imagine what his reaction would be when he saw her new look. As it turned out, she didn't have to wait long.

"Harry!" he greeted her friend warmly.

"Sirius!" he gasped as his godfather enveloped him in a fierce hug. She knew that Sirius was important to him. She knew that he counted the man as the only real family that he had left.

She waited quietly as the duo had their moment. She was glad that Harry had some sort of parental figure in his life. Even of it was someone as incorrigible as Sirius.

She watched as they separated and she fidgeted slightly as he raked his eyes over her form.

"Hermione," he greeted, his voice pitched a little bit lower as her name fell from his lips. "My, but you really have changed, haven't you?"

He took her hand and pressed as small kiss to her knuckles. She trembled as she felt him swipe his tongue across her hand to taste her skin. She withdrew her hand swiftly as a growl left Draco's lips.

"Hands off, Black!" he snarled. "She's mine, as you well know. Cousin or not, I will end you if you touch what is mine!"

"Draco!" Hermione chastised. "This is his house!"

"I don't care," he growled. "I'll not stand idle while he manhandles my mate."

Sirius held up his hands in surrender. "I apologize Draco. I meant no offense. Surely you must know how attractive a vampire female is to a mortal? I'll be more careful in the future not to step out of bounds."

He said this and then gave her a roguish wink. He would be trouble. She just knew that this was going to be a long summer.

End Note: So, Sirius... what do you think? Is he going to be trouble? What do you think of possessive Draco? Reviews=love. Be sure to leave me some.


	34. Chapter 34

A/N: Thanks for all the lovely reviews. And for those of you that don't know, the next chapter is up for What A Malfoy Wants. ; ) This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 34

Just as she suspected, Sirius was trouble. She liked the man immensely but she was rather put out by his sly glances and carefully worded innuendoes.

He was getting bolder as the weeks went by. He cornered her in the library one night that Draco was out with Professor Snape.

"You know," he said conversationally as he leaned over the divan that she was sitting on to look over her shoulder at the book she was reading. It was on dark magic, more specifically, it involved the resurrection of the dead. She hadn't given up on her hunt for a way to save Harry. She would save him. She wouldn't fail him. She wouldn't allow him to sacrifice his life to be rid of Voldemort. She looked at him out of the corner of her eye. He was awfully close. So close that she could see the pulse in his neck where his artery was pumping his blood around his body. She stiffened slightly as he leaned closer. "You needn't venture into muggle London to sate your hunger, Princess. I'm right here. And I can tell you that I'm very much willing."

He waggled his eyebrows and flashed her a mischievous smirk. Hermione repressed the urge to roll her eyes at his theatrics. Instead, she closed her book and rose from the settee gracefully. She was getting much better at controlling her new body. "Thank you, Sirius. But that isn't necessary," she said sweetly. "Harry has already volunteered for that job."

She circled him slowly, predatorily. She wanted to scare some sense into the man. She knew that his heart was in the right place. She knew that he offered because he wanted her but also because he was scared that Death Eater's would capture her when she left the house to hunt. It touched her that he cared but he had to watch himself. She'd kept his behavior from Draco. It just wouldn't do for her mate to find out that his cousin was actively pursuing her. Family or not, she didn't think that Draco would be very accommodating of another man encroaching on what he felt was his.

"He did?" he asked. She watched his throat constrict as he swallowed.

"Hmmm…yes he did," she answered airily as she moved closer and inhaled. He did smell good. She imagined that he would taste even better. But she wouldn't feed on Harry's Godfather. It wasn't right and she was worried what might happen after. She would stick to hunting with Draco. He could satisfy her urges after she sated her hunger. But she didn't want Sirius to know that. She wanted to scare him off.

She let her fangs slide into place and she smiled sinisterly. "I turned him down though. Harry is like my brother. My family. But you…" she trailed off as she stepped closer. "You aren't related to me in any way."

She watched as his eyes dipped to her cleavage. She almost felt dirty but she pressed on. "It's almost a shame, Sirius, but I find that I like the thrill of the hunt. I like prowling after my prey. You are much too easy to satisfy that need Sirius."

She tried to step away but his hands gripped her wrists tightly. "Hermione, please," he whispered. "I haven't known this kind of want in years. Please, I'm begging."

She wanted to pull herself free from his grasp. She hadn't scared him at all. Merlin, she'd turned the man on. That wasn't supposed to happen. He was supposed to run the other way once he'd really glimpsed what she was. Maybe all those years in Azkaban really did ruin his mind. Maybe he was just a closet deviant. Whatever the case was, this wasn't going as she planned.

"Sirius," she pleaded. "Let me go. If Draco…"

"Draco doesn't have to know," he interrupted. He backed her into a corner. She knew that he was no match for her strength. She could easily knock him down and get away but she didn't want to hurt him. Harry would never forgive her. She wouldn't be able to forgive herself.

"Sirius," she caught his eye. She was going to have to glamour him out of this.

"Oh no you don't," he insisted as he closed his eyes and slammed his mouth onto hers. She cursed as she tasted blood. The idiot had bitten his lip in a gamble to incite her into a frenzy. It would have worked too, if it wasn't for the loud growl that rang through the room jolting her back to her senses.

"What in the name of Merlin is going on here?" Draco stood in the doorway with Snape just behind him.

And he was pissed.

End note: Ahh, feels so good to leave a good cliffy. Oh, how I've missed you so. That said, leave me some reviews. They make great presents and since my birthday was yesterday... : ) I'll see you Tuesday.


	35. Chapter 35

A/N: So, here's today's installment. I didn't finish this story over my vacation as tonight I go back to work. But I did manage to get a lot of writing done. I've written this through chapter 40 and things are coming to head, so the end is in sight. This chapter is here in its entirety.

Chapter 35

Hermione froze as she felt the anger radiating from her mate. She didn't know if the anger was directed at her or Sirius. She could only imagine what it looked like was going on when he walked in.

"Draco…" she trailed off as his eyes glowed eerily silver in the semi darkness of the library.

"Quiet," he murmured softly as he strode forward confidently. Turning his attention toward Sirius, she watched fearfully as he squirmed uncomfortably. "Just what do you think you're doing Black?"

His voice was calm but his emotions were another story entirely. She'd never felt him so angry. She pressed herself further into the wall trying to put more space between herself and Sirius. This situation was a powderkeg that was threatening to blow wide open.

"I was merely offering my services, Draco," Sirius answered calmly. She had to give credit where credit was due. His voice didn't waver even though he was scared. His thoughts betrayed just how potentially volatile things could become. "It's not safe for her to leave the house. You know that she is number three on Voldemort's hit list. I don't want to see her hurt. I was just letting her know that I was here if she needed to sate her hunger."

"Really?" Draco drawled as he closed the distance even further. Sirius stepped away from her entirely to show Draco that he wasn't as big a threat as he portrayed. Draco halted his pursuit as he regarded the man before him. "The last time I checked, Black, feeding didn't involve kissing. So just why was your lips attached to the face of my mate?"

His voice was quiet, deadly as he voiced his question. Hermione knew that he didn't quite believe the words that Sirius told him.

"You know how Hermione is," Sirius argued. "She needed a push. So I bit my lip and kissed her. I hoped that the taste of my blood would get her to accept what I was offering. You and I both know that she never would have gone for it otherwise."

"Did it not occur to you to just ask her?" Draco seethed. "She's a big girl and she knows how to handle herself."

"I did ask, you bloody idiot," Sirius yelled. "And guess what, she said no, that she preferred the hunt."

"Stop," she hissed. She'd had enough of this already. They were talking about her as if she wasn't even there.

"Stop talking about me as if I'm not standing here. As you so rightly pointed out, I'm a big girl and I can handle myself. Draco, it's as he says and it's not as if I don't appreciate the offer Sirius. I do. But I don't feel comfortable feeding on anyone that I know. There are things that happen to me while feeding and I have no doubt that you know to what I'm exactly referring to. So just stop. Get the idea out of your head. It's never going to happen."

Her eyes darted between Draco and Sirius. Draco seemed mollified but Sirius looked as if he might argue further.

"Padfoot," she pleaded gently. "Don't make me have to glamour the thought from your head. You do know that I can read minds, right? I'm with Draco and I have no need to look elsewhere."

"But you're too good for him, Princess," he whispered dejectedly.

"That's not for you to decide," she returned evenly. "I know it to be truth. I belong with him. Even if you don't like it."

She stepped to Draco's side and he looped an arm around her waist possessively. She concentrated on sending affection through their bond. She hoped that he wasn't angry at her because Sirius overstepped the boundary.

Sirius eyed her for a bit more and then left the room hurriedly, his thoughts centered morosely on the fact that he knew that he was doomed to be lonely. She felt bad for him. She really did. But there was nothing that she could do for him on that front. She belonged with Draco. She knew it in her soul.

"Are we quite done here?" Snape asked coldly. "That was the most disgusting display that I've ever seen."

Hermione didn't argue with him but she knew from his mind that he'd seen far worse. She nodded her head as his black eyes pierced her own. "Dumbledore wants the two of you to venture out and gather the rest of the horcruxes. He says that the final battle is imminent and it is of the utmost importance to destroy those things before we embark on the final road to end that tyrant's life."

Hermione locked eyes with Draco and nodded. She knew exactly where and what to look for. With any luck, they could gather the objects in just a few days. Then she knew that they were only a step away from confronting the madman.

End Note:Thoughts? I've recently had another 'review' stating that all my stories sound the same. Same plot, same end, same everything. So, I'll just straight up ask, when you read more stories, do you think that they are all the same? Should I just scrap writing altogether since I can't seem to write anything original? I wish my reviewer had signed in so that I could go and check out her stories so that I could see how I'm supposed to write. Sorry, rant over. I guess I'm just feeling a little morose. See you Friday...

P.S. My work schedule is ramping up for the holidays(Wal-Mart) and I'll not have as much time to write. I will do my very best to keep this story on schedule since we are so near to the end.


	36. Chapter 36

A/N: Hi again, beautiful people. I regret to say that this chapter is heavily edited for this site. To read the full, juicy version, head on over to adultfanfiction, the writers coffee shop, or archive of our own. My pen name there is cullens_pet and the story title is the same. I'd rather not risk having this story deleted from here again. I'm sorry for the inconvenience.

Chapter 36

Hermione knew as Draco led her from the room that he was still angry. She could feel his turbulent emotions through the bond. Anger, jealousy, embarrassment, and hurt all flooded her senses.

She felt bad about the kiss. She could have stopped him but she just froze up. She didn't want to hurt Sirius and now she had hurt her mate by her reluctance to act.

She stumbled slightly as he pushed her into their shared room. She turned to study him as he silently cast wards and silencing spells on their room.

"Draco…" she ventured timidly.

"No," he growled. "No more talking until I say that you can talk."

Her mouth snapped shut with an audible click. He'd issued a command. She trembled with fear as he prowled slowly around her.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded angrily. "How in the name of Slytherin could you let him paw you like that? Put his lips on that which belongs to me? Why didn't you stop him, you crazy witch? You are much stronger than he is. Or maybe you wanted him. Maybe there is something there that you aren't telling me?"

Hermione's eyes flooded with bloody tears. She longed to tell him that none of that was true. She didn't want Sirius like that. She didn't want anyone like that other than Draco. She opened the bond fully on her end and tried to show him how wrong he was. It was the only way that she could make him see as he'd forbidden her to speak. Her tears overflowed as he slammed his end of the bond shut, completely shutting her out. Why was he doing this?

His fingers grasped the back of her neck as he rounded in front of her. "Maybe you need a reminder of who you belong to?" he murmured quietly as he jerked her forward by her neck, pressing her smaller frame into his. "Maybe I've been too lax in my duties? Maybe I've given you too much free reign and you've forgotten who your master is?"

Hermione shook her head as he voiced his questions. She knew that she was his. She'd even come to terms with the fact that she was his mate. She'd come to terms with that fact that they would be together until one of them died. She'd even forgiven him for the horrible way that he forced all of this on her. It was breaking her heart to think that she would do something like that to him. It stung to think that she would be with someone other than him. Had she not proven herself?

She also knew that this was partially her fault. She'd awoken the monster in him when she didn't put Sirius in his place. It was primal. He'd seen another man touching his mate. Now he felt the need to claim her all over again, to remind her that she belonged to him. She just wished that he'd at least allow her to explain. She didn't want him thinking that she didn't want him.

She gasped in shock as he pushed her against the wall at his full speed. She didn't even have time to blink before his teeth were imbedded deep in her throat. She cried out hoarsely as he pinned her there fully, growling low in his throat as she struggled feebly against his superior strength. Even as a vampire, his strength was far greater than hers.

He vanished her clothes... She knew why he felt like he needed to do this but it didn't make it hurt any less. She knew that she'd hurt him when he'd seen her with Sirius.

She didn't struggle when he moved them to the bed and pulled her arms above her head. He pulled away from her throat, his lips stained red with her blood. "Who do you belong to? Speak, Witch!"

"You!" she cried as... "Only you, Draco! I'm sorry. I just froze up! I didn't want to hurt him!"

He growled once more as ... She jolted from the impact and winced as his grip tightened around her aching wrists. She was lucky that she was immortal now and would heal, though it would be at a much slower rate due to the blood that he'd taken from her and the tears that she's shed.

She tensed as... She didn't move as he collapsed on top of her. She was shocked to feel warmth against her chest as bloody tears seeped from his eyes. Apparently, this had been as hard on him as it had been on her. She didn't resist him as he let go of her arms and wound himself around her tenderly, pulling her close. She didn't struggle as his tongue lapped at her wounds, closing them gently.

She couldn't blame him for his brutal actions. Ever since she'd read that book, she had a greater understanding of the instincts that drove them. She knew that he couldn't help himself. She'd already forgiven him. She just hoped that he could forgive himself.

End Note: Thoughts, people give me your thoughts. That's a command. Well, shit. that doesn't work since I'm not a vampire and none of you are my children. Oh, well. Leave me a review anyway, I thrive on them. Again, I'm sorry that I had to edit this for this site. It does detract from the story, especially since this tale isn't just PWP. See you Tuesday.


	37. Chapter 37

A/N: Thanks for all the unending support. I heart you all big time.

Chapter 37

Draco was distant with her as they went about fulfilling Dumbledore's orders. She knew that he was upset with the way that he had treated her. She concentrated on sending him love and forgiveness through their bond. It was the only thing that she knew to do. When she'd tried to talk to him, he'd totally shut down. Her eyes misted slightly as she recalled that morning in their room.

"Draco," she tried.

"Don't," he commanded. "What's done is done."

He paced away from her pulling on his blond locks. "We need to get a move on. We have much to do and we must hunt before we go to the Ministry."

She nodded slowly. She didn't miss the tender look in his eyes as his gaze swept over her. Remorse and guilt colored his end of their tie. She didn't know what she could do to comfort him. She resolved that she would try very hard in the future to not trigger such instincts in him. She believed that last night had hurt him far more than it had hurt her.

They finished their hunting quickly and there was no time for play afterwards. Hermione had discovered that Umbridge was in possession of one of the Horcruxes. She didn't know it of course and neither did Voldemort. But Hermione had found Regulus's journal in the library. She knew that the drawing of the necklace within was the horcrux. She also knew that to be the necklace that the old toad wore around her neck.

Their mission would be very tricky. Hermione couldn't go into the Ministry at all. It was too risky. Voldemort had placed a high price on her head. It was only slightly safer for Draco. He was going to go to her office and glamour her secretary. Then he would corner the foul woman in her office and take the necklace from her. He would glamour her after to forget all about the necklace.

Hermione was a bundle of nerves as she stood outside the Ministry, hidden under a disillusionment charm. She didn't like it. She had pleaded with Draco to leave his end of their connection open so that she could feel what he was feeling. She wanted to know immediately if he was in some kind of trouble. She didn't care how dangerous it was for her. If he was in danger, she would go and help him.

He'd said no, stating that she didn't have to worry, that he could handle himself. So now, here she was across the street form the Ministry, a bundle of nerves. He'd only been gone for five minutes, but to her it felt like five hours. She tried hard not to fidget as the seconds ticked by. It might take him quite some time to get to Umbridge's office. It depended on who he ran into inside. It really was a shame that they could no longer use polyjuice potion. It didn't work on their undead tissue.

After forty-five minutes, she was ready to go in after him. She was just getting ready to go inside, when he appeared beside her. It was all she could do to not throw herself on him. She was so relieved.

"Don't do that to me ever again," she stated flatly. "Do you know how worried I've been? Why did you shut me out like that? I'm just as capable as you."

"I know," his voice was low in her ear as he prepared to walk them to their next destination, Diagon Alley.

"I just didn't want to see you in danger or get hurt again. After last night…" his eyes were haunted as he trailed off.

Her eyes softened further as she tugged him to a reluctant stop. "Draco, about last night…"

He faced her fully and placed his finger over her lips, shushing her. "I hurt you," he stated, his voice tormented. "I bit you, I forced myself on you."

"Instincts," she whispered and licked his finger. "Don't you see, Draco? It is what you are, what we are. It was my fault. I should have stopped Sirius. I didn't know what to do. I panicked. I didn't want to hurt him. I tried to glamour him but he closed his eyes. Then, when he did what he did," she avoided saying the words. She didn't want to bring forth those instincts again. "After I tasted his blood, I had a hard time pushing him away. Don't you see? I was weak. I'm not as in control of my thirst as I thought I was."

He backed her up against the wall and captured her lips with his. She moaned as the taste of his blood danced across her tongue. "I'm sorry," he whispered.

"There's no need," she replied as she cupped his cheek. "I'd forgiven you even before anything happened. I know that you're a good man and a good vampire. You just need to see that for yourself."

She took his hand and guided him into The Leaky Cauldron. They still had to rob Gringott's. It was sure to be their biggest test yet.

End Note: Thoughts? Things will go pretty quickly from here. I can finally see the light at the end of the tunnel. Review, let me know how you'd like this to end. I'll see you lovelies Friday.


	38. Chapter 38

A/N: Here's to Friday, I love you so much. Update day and my day off from work. Working at Wal-Mart this time of year bites, especially when you're in charge of keeping all the sales items from getting lost. In reality, that just translates into working about a thousand hours a week. Good news is that I'm still on track with my writing schedule for this. I'm currently working on chapter 45 and am nearing the end. So, without further ado, here is the latest chapter.

Chapter 38

They'd strategize quietly as they maneuvered through the alley. Draco said that his Aunt's vault was on the same level as his own and only a few vaults over. He said that her vault was guarded by blood wards. So, in theory, he ought to be able to gain access to her vault since he was of Black blood.

She didn't know if the goblin's would be too keen to just let him access the vault though. Technically, it didn't belong to him. That's where she was to come in. She was to ask to access her vault after they arrived at his. He would remain, claiming that he couldn't find what he was looking for. They would scoot off to her vault and he would get the cup while she was gone.

Again, she didn't like the plan. They would have to be separated once more. That, and he would have to find the cup on his own. Who knew what traps she had in her vault. That, and she knew from Bella's mind, that there was more than one cup and they all had self replicating charms placed on them. As soon as he touched one cup, they would start to multiply.

She had faith in him though as they climbed in the cart and went on the terrifying ride. It seemed to last forever since his vault was much deeper in the earth than her own. She slipped out of the cart when they came to a halt. She waited as Draco entered his vault.

She waited for fifteen minutes before she asked the goblin in her sweetest voice, "Would you mind terribly, Trimclaw, if we stopped at my vault on the way out? I forgot that I needed some money for the rest of the summer. I feel terrible when Lord Malfoy pays for everything."

"Go on, Sweetheart," she heard Draco call from within the vault. "I can't seem to find the manuscripts that my Father requested."

The goblin narrowed his eyes at her suspiciously. "It's breaking protocol to do that, I'm afraid," he answered imperiously. "We will wait."

"Are you saying?" Draco asked dangerously as he exited his vault. "That you refuse to assist my fiance whilst I finish gathering what my Father requested."

"Of-of course not, Master Malfoy," the goblin stuttered. "It's an unusual request. I will take Miss Granger to her vault. I'm afraid that it will take some time before I can return with the cart."

"It's not a problem," he stated. "It will take me a bit to amass the documents that my Father needed."

He kissed her hand and flashed her a wink. She rode the cart away from him hoping that he knew what he was doing. She gathered a few piles of Galleons from her own vault and returned to the lobby. All in all, it had been about twenty minutes since she left Draco.

She was surprised to see him waiting for her by the doors. She allowed him to take her arm and tuck it into the crook of his arm and guide her from the bank.

"Did you get it?" she asked curiously as they walked to the apparation point.

"Of course," he boasted proudly.

"How did you get out?" she asked

"I flew," he answered slyly as he placed his arms around her waist.

"Flew?" she asked as they prepared to go back to Grimmauld.

She smiled at him. "I guess that extra talent came in handy after all."

"Indeed," he smirked.

She pressed a quick kiss to his lips and then froze as she saw an unmistakable flash of the infamous Malfoy hair in her periphery.

"Draco," the man called, his voice hard with malice. It was Lucius. "Just what do you think you are doing?"

"Hold tight," he whispered.

She trembled as his Father strode closer and closer, his walking stick echoing menacingly with each step that he took. She squeezed her eyes shut as they disappeared with a loud crack just as his hand was reaching out to grab her.

End Note: Thoughts? This might complicate things just a bit. But of course, you all expected a few more twists. I'm a little excited. I'm going to see Breaking Dawn part 2 in a little over an hour. Sad to see it finished. But I guess there's always The Hunger Games Trilogy. Leave a review and I'll see you Tuesday.


	39. Chapter 39

A/N: Lots of love to everyone that is following and enjoying this story. You're the reason that I keep doing this.

Chapter 39

Hermione's eyes flashed open when they appeared at Number 12 Grimmauld. Her eyes flew around wildly. They were alone, thank Merlin. She trembled in Draco's arms as she realized what had almost happened.

"Oh, Draco," she cried. "He knows."

"Shhh," he soothed. "It was bound to happen sooner or later. He was going to find out eventually. It's alright. Come on. We have to find Albus and let him know. Besides, we have a few more horcruxes to destroy."

They hurried up the steps and into the house. They went to the kitchen where everyone was convened for a meeting.

"Were you successful?" Snape asked.

Draco nodded tightly. "But we have a problem." He paused as he gazed around the table. His eyes finally landed on those of his maker. "Lucius knows."

Snape's eyes narrowed. "How did this happen?"

Hermione shook slightly and then sat down. Her nerves were still frayed. She could hardly believe what almost happened. It would have been a disaster.

"He saw us at the apparition point after we left Gringott's," he answered. "He called out to me and tried to reach out and grab Hermione. I got us out just in time."

"He didn't follow you, did he?" Harry asked.

"No," Draco affirmed. "We jumped several times before we came here, just to be sure. I didn't know if he had enough time to cast a tracking charm so I erred on the side of caution."

"But this still changes things," Dumbledore said pensively. "If Lucius knows, then Tom knows. And it will only be a matter of time."

Snape winced and grabbed his arm. "I must go. He calls." He stood and grabbed his cloak. "I will send word to Draco when I know more of what is going on."

He walked from the kitchen as chatter erupted around the table. "Albus," Hermione asked. "What do we do? I haven't found a solution to Harry's problem yet."

She spoke quietly. She didn't want anyone else to hear. Not everyone at the table knew exactly what they were.

"Come," he said. "We'll speak in the library. You and Harry too."

Eyes followed them as they left the kitchen and headed to the library. Dumbledore cast several wards and silencing charms after they were all settled. His blue eyes scrutinized them each individually before he finally spoke.

"I'm afraid," he said wearily. "That we are all out of time. Tom is extremely dangerous with this information. He will redouble his efforts to get to Miss Granger. Not only that, I fear that Lucius will let it slip that you are a vampire. I don't believe that Tom knows this yet. I believe that it is something that Lucius has kept from him until now. You Father is in a very bad place. I don't think that he is a good man by any means. But I also believe that is backed into a corner, with no way out."

Draco swallowed uncomfortably. "So what do we do?"

"We bring the fight to them," Dumbledore replied. "We destroy the cup and the necklace. Then we attack."

"Attack Malfoy Manor?" Draco asked incredulously.

Dumbledore nodded. "It will be totally unexpected. Not only that, you can get us passed the wards."

"But," Draco argued. "My Father and Mother will know immediately. They will feel the shift in the wards."

"Yes," Dumbledore agreed. "But what if you contact your mother. Would she help you?"

"My mother would do anything for me," Draco answered.

"There's your answer," Dumbledore said. "Contact her, through a safe means. We can't risk any communication getting intercepted. Then we'll set a date. And we'll fight."

"What about Harry?" Hermione asked as she locked eyes with the green eyed wizard.

"We do as we planned from the beginning," Dumbledore answered as he prepared to leave. "We give him your blood."

End Note: Thoughts? I almost didn't upload today as I'm wore out from work. but I decided I couldn't just leave you hanging. I've done well and kept with my posting schedule on this story. We're winding down now. See you Friday...


	40. Chapter 40

A/N: Sorry about the total update failure on Friday. I worked a fifteen hour shift at work on Black Friday, my husband totaled our only vehicle, and he went to jail. All in all, it's been a terrible week. I haven't even been able to get my mind settled enough to write. I can't sleep and I haven't been eating due to all the anxiety and stress. Long story short, I'm a basket case. But I didn't want to leave you beautiful readers in the lurch. So here I am even though I don't feel like doing more than curling up into a ball and crying. I hope you enjoy this chapter. I had a lot of fun writing it before my life spun completely out of control.

Chapter 40

Draco left the room not long after Dumbledore. He said that he needed to speak with Dobby. Hermione sat next to Harry and held his hand.

"Are you okay with this?" she asked gently as she traced the veins in his hand.

She watched as he swallowed. "I don't know," he answered finally. "I don't know what to think. Everything is happening so quickly. And not at all like how I'd expected it to, you know."

"I know," she murmured. "But that wasn't what I was asking. I was asking if you were okay with taking my blood. If he kills you, which we know that we have to let him do, you may not come back as a human. You may come back as a vampire. You'll be different."

He nodded. "I know. But I'm not ready to die," he whispered. "There's too much out there that I've never experienced. Too much that I've never done. Do you know that I've never really kissed a girl properly? I mean, there was Choo in the fourth year but she doesn't count, not really. She was cute but she wasn't the one for me."

"Do you know who the one for you is?" Hermione asked curiously. She had an idea but she'd never seen Harry act on it.

"I really like Ginny," Harry whispered as his cheeks tinged pink. "But I didn't want to get into it with Ron."

Hermione nodded. "He isn't very understanding on his best days," she agreed. "But you can't let what he thinks dictate how you live you life."

He nodded and she switched the subject back to what needed to be said. "So, enough diversion. What do you think, Harry? What do you want? Taking my blood isn't something to take lightly. If you do wake up as a vamp, there will be consequences," she explained. " I will be your maker for one. That just means that there will be a tie between us, and emotional tie. And I will be able to command you to do things. Commands that you will have to follow or it will cause you pain. Not that I would do that to you if I didn't have to, but the thought is there. You will never grow old and you will never die. You will never be able to have children. And you may have a mate. And it's something that you don't choose. I mean, I ended up with Draco Malfoy. It's possible that you could end up with Dolores Umbridge."

She paused her speech as a visible shudder passed over her friend. "That's not something to joke about," he retorted.

"It's no joke," she assured. "I just want you to know the facts. I didn't know much when I was turned."

"How did it happen?" he asked curiously. "How did Malfoy convince you to be his mate?"

She looked her friend in the eyes before taking the plunge. He might as well know. "He tricked me. He tricked me into a witches bond and then he made the mate bond before I knew what was happening."

"You didn't have a choice?" he asked incredulously. He stood up suddenly, anger darkening his features. "I can't believe him! I'll…"

"Calm down, Harry," she pulled him back down on the couch. "I understand why he did it. I'm not saying that what he did wasn't wrong, but I understand," she explained when she saw that he meant to argue with her. "There are things about him that no one knows and it has really messed with him as a person. It has made him who he is and influenced how he acts. I understand and forgive him for what he did. I'm happy now Harry. That's all that matters. The question is, could you be happy as a vampire? Is it worth the risk? Albus had theorized that a killing curse might just kill the piece of Tom's soul inside you and then you would wake up as just you. But do you want to take that chance? I won't force my blood into you. It will be your choice. But I don't want you to die."

"I know," he said affectionately. "You're a good friend. My best friend and my sister. And I trust you. I'd be honored if you gave me your blood."

Hermione smiled at him and her eyes filled with bloody tears. She blinked them away before they fell. She didn't want to bleed all over her friend.

"So, how does this work?" he asked nonchalantly. She was grateful. She was a little nervous. She'd never given anyone her blood, other than Draco.

"Well," she explained. "I have to take some of your blood, quite a bit actually. And then I'll give you a large portion of mine. Then, if something happens and you actually die, then you will sleep for a day and wake up as a vampire."

"A day," he exclaimed. "But what about Riddle? I can't kill him if I'm asleep."

"Relax," she assured him. "We will kill him if you don't wake up. With all the horcruxes gone, any one of us will be able to finish him off."

"Oh," he said. "Sounds simple."

She laughed. He was nervous and it was cute.

"Don't worry, Harry," she soothed. "It's not as bad as you're thinking. I won't take advantage of you. You may, however, need to rub one out afterwards. Vampire blood does act as an aphrodisiac."

His cheeks flamed and she laughed again. "Not helping," he gritted.

"I'm sorry," she said. "I couldn't help myself. But it is true. I was only giving you fair warning."

"Can we," he asked, his eyes squeezed shut in embarrassment. "Just get this over with? This is bad enough as it is."

"Sure," she chirped and pulled him closer. "Just relax."

She moved closer and licked the vein in his neck, preparing him for her bite. It was a little strange to be licking her best friend's neck but she went through it. She wouldn't let him die. Not when he really hadn't even lived.

His vein popped up as his heart rate increased. Her fangs clicked into place and he jumped against her mouth. "Relax," she whispered. "It won't hurt."

She pierced his skin slowly and drank deeply. Harry moaned against her throat as she drank. She knew that it felt good. She heard from his thoughts that he was amazed by how good it felt. He was thinking that he should have tried to be a bit more persuasive when he offered for her to feed from him before. Then his thoughts went to Sirius and the scene the other day. He understood now why Sirius was trying so hard to get her to feed from him.

She pulled her teeth from his neck and healed the wounds with her saliva. There would be no lasting marks. They didn't want anyone to know what they had done. She raised her wrist and tore it open, wincing as she did so. Just because she was a vampire didn't mean that she didn't feel any pain.

She pressed her bleeding wrist to his mouth. "Drink, Harry," she whispered. "Drink as much as you can."

She suppressed her rising desire as he pulled her blood from her body. It really was erotic having someone drink from you. Even if it wasn't your mate. She felt the tie form between them and she knew that he had drank enough. She might have to get him to take her blood one more time before the fight. She wouldn't take his again. She had enough that she'd always be able to track him.

She smiled as he sat up in a daze and then bolted for the bathroom. She knew from his thoughts that he was going to take her advice. She exited the library as well, tracking down her mate. She had her own problem to take care of.

End Note: So, thoughts? I thought Harry was very cute in this chapter. Just a side note, I will do my very best to get back on schedule. I have two maybe three chapters more to write and then this will be complete. thanks for all your support. : )


	41. Chapter 41

A/N:Sorry for the lateness of this update. If it helps any, it is still Friday where I live. Thanks for all your kind words last chapter. They really gave me a much needed boost. I'm sorry to say that this chapter has been edited for content on this site. If you want the full, juicy version, please go to adultfanfiction, The Writer's Coffee Shop, or Archive of Our Own. My pen name there is cullens_pet and the story title is the same. I know it's inconvenient but there are some kind of small-minded, vigilant, tyrants out there reporting fics left and right for content violation and since this story has been deleted once already... well you get the idea.

Chapter 41

She found Draco in the kitchen. She was just in time to see Dobby disappear with a small pop. "All we have to do now is wait," he explained as he turned to her.

She nodded as she pressed herself against him. "It's done," she murmured softly. "Harry has my blood. So we'll be ready when the time comes."

She rubbed once more against the hard body of her mate, her skin tingling wherever it happened to make contact. She felt like she was ready to implode.

"Someone's feeling frisky," he commented with a sly smirk. "I bet you're not the only one either."

She laughed lightly. "Poor, Harry," she lamented lightly. "He wasn't really prepared for that. I told him that he would have to rub one out after. I don't think he believed me at the time."

His smirk broadened as his mouth dropped to her ear. "He's not the only one who needs to rub one out as you eloquently put it, is he?"

She shivered as his breath caressed her neck. "No," she breathed.

He laughed wickedly. Then they disappeared from the kitchen. They landed in the bedroom in a tangle of limbs on the bed. He'd vanished both of their clothing the moment that they landed. He went to work immediately, his head buried between her thighs.

All she could do was hang on for the ride. Her arousal was almost painful as she climbed higher and higher. She shattered as he bit her thigh, her climax exploding through her body. She wrapped her legs around him as they became one. She couldn't help but sigh. As much as she hated it in the beginning, she couldn't deny that they belonged together. She only felt whole only when they were connected like this.

... "Tell me," he asked, his voice no more than a whisper. "Tell me, did you feel good when Potter was drinking from you?"

"Yes," she hissed as he exploited a particularly sensitive spot.

"Did it feel as good as when I drink from you?" he asked as he sat up further ... .

"No," she breathed. "No one feels as good as you. No one even compares."

He smiled. A real smile. Not his infamous smirk.

A smile.

He flipped them suddenly, so that now she was riding him. "Drink," he bid. "I can feel your hunger and your exhaustion.

She laid pliant against him and buried her face in his neck. That was one command that she didn't mind following. She inhaled leisurely, savoring his scent. He always smelled so bloody good. She licked his neck slowly and he groaned underneath her. She sank her fangs into him and savored his thick blood. There were no words to describe the way that it made her feel to drink his blood.

... She came apart not moments after he started. She couldn't withstand the onslaught of his body and his blood. She withdrew her teeth but stayed where she was, her face pressed against his chest. She couldn't deny what she was feeling any longer. She'd fallen in love with her child hood enemy.

End Note: Thoughts? I hope you enjoyed this short chapter. I plan to write all night and finish this story tonight. Wish me luck and I hope to see you Tuesday.


	42. Chapter 42

A/N: So, I've finished writing this story. It sits at 48 chapters, so there aren't many left. I'm going to stick to the uploading schedule that we've been on for the duration of this story. Thanks again for all the lovely reviews. You guys are awesome.

Chapter 42

Dobby returned two days later. He gave Draco a roll of parchment from his Mother. The plan was ingenious really. Narcissa would slip Lucius a dreamless sleep potion before bed the night of their planned attack. She relayed that the following Monday would be a good day to do it. She said that the Dark Lord had a major attack planned the following morning, something about a muggle bridge and everyone would be retiring early so that they could get an early start the next day.

With Lucius down for the count, there would be no one to feel the shift of the wards as Draco dismantled them. Then they could take them by surprise. She also stated that a majority of Voldemort's followers would be at the house that night so that they would be onhand for the upcoming attack. It would be less for them to round up after it was all over.

As for herself, she said that she would ward herself into her bedchambers with Lucius. She never wanted any part of Voldemort's schemes. Draco knew that she never wanted to be a part of it. She was so far under his Father's thumb that she couldn't have done anything about it. She could only stand and watch as her family fell apart and her husband drifted further from her.

Draco's eyes were wet and his emotions were turbulent after he finished relaying the contents of the letter. He loved his mother. She was possibly the only one that he had loved as a human and she was certainly the only one to have ever shown him any love as a child. Hermione could tell that he was afraid for her.

"So, next Monday?" Harry asked.

"Early Tuesday morning," Dumbledore answered. "We'll leave here around midnight. Draco will take down the wards and we'll go in through front door if we can. I'm sure that there'll be a guard or a lookout, but with Hermione with us, we'll be able to pinpoint them. I don't want to risk apparating in and alerting them with our presence right away. If we are quiet, we should be able to get quite a few of them before anyone notices we are there."

"What about the snake?" Hermione asked. Nagini was the last horcrux. They would have to kill her before they got to Voldemort.

"I will take care of the snake," Draco said.

"Marvelous," Dumbledore said. "Hermione, I want you to stick close to Harry. With your connection to Draco, you will know when he kills the snake. And I know that you will do what is necessary afterwards."

Everyone was silent as his blue eyes landed on Harry. "I wish things could have been different Harry. I wish that I could sit here and give you a guarantee of a good outcome. I can't do that. I don't know what will happen after Tom hits you again with the killing curse. I do know that whatever happens, we will stand by your side. We will make sure that this is done once and for all."

Hermione reached out and grasped Harry's hand and squeezed it gently. "Whatever happens, I won't let you down Harry."

"I know," he whispered. "I'm just tired. I want this to be done. It seems surreal to think that it will be over, one way or the other, in just a few days."

They attended a full order meeting later that night. The only thing that he really told them was to meet at Headquarter's on Monday night. It wasn't that he didn't trust them. He just knew that if one of them was captured, the information could be tortured from them or they could be fed veritaserum. Either way, all their plans would be lost. They would go into detail on that night. Then they would go in. They would finish it. Once and for all.

Hermione had decided that she would give Harry her blood once more that morning. Then she and Draco would leave to hunt. They would have to be on their 'A' game. Draco would be killing Nagini. And she would be killing the Dark Lord.

End Note: So, the plot thickens. Things will happen fast and furious from here on out. Five chapters left and an epilogue. See you Friday!


	43. Chapter 43

A/N: Thanks all for all the lovely reviews and favorites. Things are going to blow up soon. ;)

Chapter 43

Hermione didn't tell anyone what she planned to do. She would stand back and watch while Voldemort hit Harry with the killing curse. But she wouldn't wait to see if Harry woke up. She would finish it right then. She would be able to take him by surprise. He wouldn't even know she was there. He would be dead before he realized what was happening.

At least that's how she hoped things would play out. As for Harry, she could only wait and see if he woke up. She wasn't ready to be a maker just yet. She was still acclimating to being a vampire herself. She wasn't sure what she would do if Harry woke up as a vampire.

She was sure that she would have to finally divulge what she was to the world. She'd told Draco that she was tired of hiding. And she was. But she wasn't sure if she was ready to face the public at large just yet. Vampires were heavily persecuted. She wasn't sure if she was ready to face the public backlash. And if she'd turned the chosen one into a vampire she was sure that there would be plenty.

She would just take things as they come, one step at a time. With Draco by her side, she could face anything. She felt guilty though. She hadn't told him of her plans. She was sure that he would try to stop her, maybe even command her not to interfere. She couldn't take the chance of that happening. So, she kept her plans to herself.

The few days leading up to Monday passed slowly. She spent all of her time with Draco and Harry. It hurt to think about it, but these might be the last days that they spent with each other. You never knew what might happen. Something might go wrong with any one of their separate missions. And if something happened to either her or Draco, they would both die.

Monday morning Hermione sought Harry out. She had to give him her blood one more time before the battle. He was almost embarrassed this time since her knew what effects that it would have on him.

"Harry," she explained patiently. "It's necessary. I have to make sure that you have enough of my blood in you for it to work. It's a perfectly natural reaction."

"I-I know," he stammered and blushed. "It's…it's just hard for me to think of you like that, you know."

She smiled broadly at him. It was cute and strangely endearing. "I know, Harry. It's a little odd for me too. But I will do everything necessary to protect you. Come on, not much time you know. Draco and I still have to feed after this."

She bit her wrist, leaving a long bloody gash. She sat next to Harry and offered him her wrist. She bit back a moan as his mouth closed around the wound. She waited, crossing her legs as the familiar ache took up residence between her legs. She would be glad that she didn't have to do this again.

She pulled her hand away after the wound closed. He would be safe now. "Thank you," he muttered quietly, his cheeks tinged a very becoming shade of fuchsia pink. "I'll never be able to thank you enough, Hermione. You've always been there for me."

"You don't have to thank me," she said as she turned to leave his bedroom. "It's what friends do."

She left him alone and Draco was waiting for her in the hallway. "Are you ready?" he asked as he grasped her hand.

She nodded and they left to hunt. They gorged themselves. They had to be at their full strength that night. There was too much at risk. Too many lives depended on them to be at the top of their game. They slaked their thirst for blood and then they returned to Grimmald Place and satisfied their need for each other. They spent the whole afternoon pleasuring each other and burning the lust out of their systems. They couldn't afford to have any unnecessary distractions that night.

They lay coiled around each other after they were finished, basking in the warm afterglow. She nuzzled up to her mate and finally found the courage to voice what she had figured out a few weeks ago.

"I love you," she whispered as she kissed his bare chest.

She didn't wait for him to answer. She didn't need to hear it back. She just wanted him to know how she felt before they stormed into his family's house. She buried her face into the skin of his neck. She felt his throat constrict as he swallowed.

"Do you really mean that?" he asked, his voice tremulous.

Hermione opened her end of the bond and showed him just how she felt. She didn't hide anything as she laid her soul bare to him. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her tighter against him. She could feel what he didn't voice. He loved her as well.

End Note: Aweee... a little fluff before all the action. Thoughts? How do you think the battle should turn out? Hmmm... I know what happens. I'll see you Tuesday, my lovely readers.


	44. Chapter 44

A/N: Next one up kiddies. It's hard to believe that there are only four chapters left. I will miss posting this story when it's done...

Chapter 44

"What do you mean, we're going in tonight?" Kingsley asked.

"Just what I said," Dumbledore elaborated. "Draco will lower the wards and we will surprise them. I expect to pick off a good many of them before they even realize what is happening."

"Is that a good idea Dumbledore?" Remus asked, his eyes flickering over Draco and then herself. "Are you sure that it isn't a trap? Are you sure that we can trust him?"

Hermione locked eyes with her former mentor. He knew what they were. He knew by their scent. They couldn't hide their true nature from him. It hurt to see the distrust in his eyes.

"Draco has proven himself more than loyal over the last year, Remus," Dumbledore assured. "He has worked out a way to get Lucius out of the picture so that he can lower the wards and no one be the wiser."

"But surely you aren't going to let them fight?" Molly asked, gesturing to her, Draco, and Harry. "They are just children."

"They're not all children, Molly," Remus muttered, his eyes flitting ever her and Draco once more.

"Go ahead, Remus," she challenged. "You might as well tell them what we are."

Molly sat staring at them. "And what would that be, dearie?" she asked. "You're nothing more than students. You shouldn't be fighting at all."

"They're vampires, Molly. Her and Draco both." Remus bit out between clenched teeth.

He looked like he was ready to attack them. She knew that werewolves and vampires were natural enemies but she didn't feel the urge to attack her onetime professor. She'd thought that they'd been friends.

"Vampires?" Molly shrilled. "But I've seen you out and about during the daytime. How did this happen?"

"It's a long story," Hermione said wearily. "And one that I don't want to get into right now. We're not any different than we used to be. Needless to say, we're going to fight. We are a great deal more durable than you lot."

"You don't eat," Remus growled. "You drink blood to survive."

"But we don't kill," she argued. "I've never taken a life and neither has Draco."

"And what about Harry?" Molly asked, bringing them back to the subject at hand. "He should stay here. He's just a boy."

"Molly," Dumbledore reasoned. "We've known for a long time that this was coming. We knew it was going to happen. Now all that's left to be done is to finish it. We can finish this tonight. No more hiding, no more evil. Harry deserves to live a normal life, without the threat of some madman hanging over his head. So we will do this. We will help him finish it."

Molly didn't voice her fears. What if he didn't live to see all those good things? Luckily they had a contingency plan. One that they certainly didn't know about.

Hermione reached out and squeezed Harry's hand and he squeezed back before he stood and faced the order.

"I'm ready," he announced. "I know that you care about me Mrs. Weasley and I appreciate it. But I know that this has to be done. It won't work if I don't go. The only thing that I can ask is for you to hold them off for as long as you can. I can't face him and try to watch for the others as well."

"You know that we'll do our best," Arthur replied.

"And that's all I can ask," Harry said. "But I'm ready. I'm ready to be done with this reign of darkness. I'm ready to have some kind of normality back in the world even if I don't survive to see it."

Hermione blinked her eyes as they stung, her vision becoming slightly red from the blood in her tears. She knew that Harry would survive but as what. That was the question.

End Note: So, little bit short but keeping in the theme of this being a drabble fic. I'm thinking of doing another prompt challenge next year, on another site of course. Would you all be interested in giving me prompts and I write little vingettes using your words or phrases? That's how this story and two others that I've posted came about. Let me know and I'll start planning when I can begin. Do drop me a line. I'd love for this story to make it to four hundred reviews before I finish. Too bad it had over 600 when it got deleted... :(


	45. Chapter 45

A/N: Sorry I missed yesterday. I normally don't work on Friday and yesterday I did. Needless to say, it threw me off. So, here it is, only one day late. :)

Chapter 45

They waited outside of Malfoy Manor under the cover of darkness. Hermione used her power to scan the stately house thoroughly. She sensed the Malfoy's first. From the state of Lucius' mind he was deeply asleep. Narcissa had done her part.

From Narcissa herself, she could tell that the woman was awake. Her thoughts were dismal and filled with guilt over the thought that she'd drugged her husband, that she'd betrayed him. Her thoughts also focused on Draco. She felt like she'd failed him as a mother, that she should have protected him better. She also had the hope that someday he'd be able to forgive her.

Bellatrix and Voldemort were together. It was almost too much evil for Hermione to endure. She was also disgusted to find that they were both basking in the afterglow of post coital bliss. She quickly left their minds and scanned the rest of the house. Wormtail was awake, prowling around the corridor outside of Voldemort's chambers. The Carrow twins were asleep in their room, as was Yaxley and Rookwood. Everyone other than the rat was asleep.

She relayed all of this information in low tones to the order members standing around her. "Everyone is asleep," she whispered lowly. "All except for Pettigrew."

"Wormtail is mine," Growled Lupin, his eyes flashing amber through the darkness.

"Patience, Remus," Dumbledore cautioned as he laid a comforting hand on the werewolf's arm. "Keep the end goal in sight. Do not lose yourself in thoughts of vengeance. I know that you still mourn for them. We all do but we can't afford to lose focus."

Remus looked down and nodded but Hermione could see that his eyes still shown yellow through the night. If Remus didn't finish the rat, she would. He'd been the one to betray Harry's parents. He was the reason for Harry's suffering through his childhood.

She looked to Draco and nodded. She watched as he withdrew his wand and began the incantation to lower the wards. He worked slowly and steadily, each movement of his wand precise. She could feel the magic thickening the air around them. It was rather seductive to watch him work. She tamped down the warmth pooling in her abdomen and averted her eyes.

He chuckled lowly, a sound so quiet that only hers and Lupin's ears picked up the sound. He eyed her curiously and she was sure that if she was still human her face would resemble a giant tomato at this point. Draco laughed again and she growled at him quietly to silence his antics. They needed to focus.

"Later, love," he murmured quietly as the wards fell around them. He turned to face the order. "The wards are down," he addressed the group. "Please allow Hermione and I to go in first, just to scope things out. She can send her patronus when we have the all clear."

Dumbledore nodded and Draco took her hand. They took off, zipping with their vampire stealth and speed to the front door. Draco opened the door and they quietly let themselves into the front hall. Hermione opened her mind to the house and found its occupants still fast asleep.

She scanned some more and found that Nagini was being kept in her own warded room in the lower level, presumably the dungeons. She squeezed her mates hand and telepathically projected the location of the snake. He nodded and she sent off her patronus. She turned back to Draco just as he seized her waist and pulled her in for a soul consuming kiss that set fire to her very blood. She moaned quietly into his mouth as his teeth pricked her lip. She groaned again as she tasted the decadent flavor of his blood.

"I know that I haven't said it before," he whispered urgently. "But I know it's what I feel. I love you. I have for a long time I think. I was just too foolish to act on the feeling. I hope after all this is over that we can move on and try to make this work and be a real couple. I feel much more for you than I could ever put into words."

Hermione's eyes misted as she embraced him one last time before Harry and the rest of the order filed quietly into the main entry hall. She turned and directed who should go where to take care of who. Remus and Tonks would be her and Harry's backup. Draco would take care of Nagini and Shacklebolt and Molly would take care of Yaxley and Rookwood. Dumbledore and Arthur would take care of the Carrow twins. They expected by then that the whole manor would be in an uproar.

Everyone paired off with their partners and crept silently through the old house. Under the cover of disillusionment charms, they closed in on their targets. Hermione grasped Harry's hand and ticked off people in her mind as their minds blinked out one by one as they were stupefied and magically shackled. So far so good.

That was until they rounded the corner into the hallway that housed the Dark Lord's chambers. They stilled immediately as Pettigrew turned to face them. The man had spent so much time in his animagus form that he'd permanently taken on some of its attributes. Such as their superior sense of smell. He might not see them but he could sure as hell smell them.

"Intruders!" he yelled as his form shrank down and he turned into the rat that he was.

Remus fired off a stunner and missed, blowing a large hole in the wall. Then all hell broke loose as the Dark Lord and Bellatrix appeared in the hall.

End Note: On that note, tell me your thoughts if you are so inclined. I'd just like to say that I'm sickened by the events that unfolded yesterday in Connecticut. As a mother of four, I can honestly say that I wouldn't know what to do if I were put into the position that those poor people are in right now. My heart goes out to that entire community. Things will never be the same for them again. I don't necessarily believe in God or the Devil but for this sick bastard, I certainly hope that there is a hell and I hope he spends the rest of his eternal days writhing in agony. It still wouldn't be enough...


	46. Chapter 46

A/N: Three more chapters left. I can't believe we are this close to the end. Thank you to everyone who has been reading and following this story. It's been an incredible journey.

Chapter 46

A non-verbal wandless finite incantatem canceled their disillusionment charms. Immediately, Hermione threw up a shield over Harry and herself. Remus and Tonks had taken off after Wormtail, trying to subdue the traitorous wizard. He'd been the one to hunt down Voldemort and bring him back the second time around. They didn't want to even chance something like that happening again.

"Harry Potter," Voldemort hissed. "What a surprise. I'm curious to find out how you managed to break into Malfoy Manor. The wards surrounding this house are rumored to be the strongest in existence. But that is a question for another time. Instead, I think I'd rather kill you."

Bellatrix cackled insanely at his side as he threw the first curse. Hermione wasn't sure what it was but she knew that it was dark. She could feel the vibration of her shield as it impacted it and was absorbed. It held up though and she was proud that her magic was strong enough to withstand the attack.

"Bella," Voldemort called. "Take care of the mudblood scum so that I may take care of young Harry."

"With pleasure," she cackled madly.

Hermione found herself snowed under a flurry of curses and hexes. She tried to stay with Harry. She wanted to be near him when he took the curse so that she might dispatch Voldemort immediately but she was forced from his side as she ducked and dodged and countered Bellatrix's spells.

She dueled the mad woman with precision but soon tired of playing a game. She sheathed her wand and moved at vampire speed surprising the deranged woman.

"What…" she never finished her sentence. Hermione's teeth were lodged in her throat and she tore viciously at the arteries there. She didn't drink her blood but watched with satisfaction as the woman stared up at her with glassy eyes, her arterial blood shooting all over the pristine white wall.

"How?" she croaked.

Hermione smiled menacingly, flashing her fangs.

Comprehension dawned in her face just as the light faded from her eyes. Her eyes stayed on the dead woman for a moment. Hers was the first life that she had taken and she was surprised by her total lack of remore. She had deserved to die. Hermione swung her attention to the Dark Lord just as he forced Harry to his knees. As much as she wanted to intervene, she knew that she couldn't. She had to stand back and let this happen. No matter how much it was killing her to watch. She winced as the green light erupted from Voldemort's wand and struck Harry in the head. She watched sadly as his body tumbled over limply to the side and held back her tears as she felt her blood bond with him die.

She waited for the madman to turn and cry out his victory before she launched herself at him. She had to keep him busy, to keep him focused on her until Draco sent the message that the snake was dead. Then she would kill him.

He whirled around just as she reached him, surprising her and gripping her throat tightly. His skin was icy cold, colder even than her own. She wrenched herself from his grip and stepped back slowly. She kept sight of Harry's body in her periphery, hoping against hope that Voldemort didn't kill him for real. While she had come to grips with her new lot in life it wasn't something that she wished for Harry.

She stared up undaunted at the Dark Lord as his eyes scrutinized her carefully. "Miss Granger," he purred. "Now longer just a pathetic mud blood, are we?"

His eyes flickered over to the already cooling body of Bellatrix Lestrange and then back to her bloody mouth. She said nothing, stalling for time until she knew that the snake was dead. She wanted no mistakes this time. The moment she had confirmation, she would dispatch the evil wizard.

Voldermort stepped forward as he regarded her one more time. She stayed still despite her growing desire to flee from the wizard. The darkness residing inside him seemed to poison the very air, she could feel its heaviness draped about her like a heavy cloak. It was a far from comfortable feeling. She kept her face blank as he approached.

"Yes," he whispered to himself. "I can see it now. You have changed. Your aura has changed. My but you are a spectacular creature. And you dispatched my most loyal follower so easily."

She didn't like the line of his thoughts. He wanted to own her, to possess her, to command her. She would never let that happen. His thoughts betrayed his plans. If she didn't submit to his rule, he would try and make her. She didn't know if the Imperius curse would still work on her but she had no desire to find out.

He stopped before her and she almost flinched when he raised his cold hand and gripped her chin and tilted her face to look her in the eyes.

"I'll only offer this once, Miss Granger," he whispered. "Join me and I shall spare you. Resist and I can assure you that the consequences will be most dire."

He was bluffing. He wouldn't hurt her. He wanted her on his side too badly. But he would impose his will through the curse. She was out of time. Draco had to hurry.

She shook herself loose from his grasp. "That is a very tempting offer," she said sarcastically. "But you should know by now that I don't turn my back on my friends or my beliefs. I've always thought of the phrase 'know thy enemy' as good advice. Clearly, you don't know your enemy if you think that you can sway my loyalties away from Harry."

His red eyes gleamed madly as he stepped forward once more. "Your precious Potter is dead," he spat as he gestured to the still form of her friend. She saw no movement. No breathing. No nothing. She hoped that he wasn't already turning. "You have no cause to fight for any longer and no hope of winning."

"Are you sure?" she countered as she stepped forward. They were mere inches apart. She released her fangs and relished the momentary panic that flitted through his unnaturally colored eyes. "Are you sure that you killed him? Or is he merely waiting? Waiting for his perfect moment to act, to finish what you started all those years ago. Or," she lowered her voice to a menacing whisper. "Is he even what you should be afraid of?"

End Note: Haha! Love bad-ass Hermione! Thoughts are always welcomed and appreciated. I hope everyone has a wonderful Christmas. Two more chapters left. Or one more chapter and an epilogue to be precise. See you Friday...


	47. Chapter 47

A/N: One more left: just the epilogue. I'm so sad to see this end but on a happier note, I will be able to focus more on my other unfinished works.

Chapter 47

She waited for only a moment before she struck the first blow. Her fist sent him careening into the wall across the hall. She leapt on him before he had the chance to recover. She engaged him the muggle way, knowing that she was no match for him magically. She may be faster than him but his magical power was far superior to her own. Besides, she relished hurting him physically. He'd hurt so many people, destroyed so many families in his quest for immortality and power. He deserved to be punished.

"Does it bother you?" she queried as she pressed the heel of her boot against his throat, his body lying prone against the plush carpet. "That a muggleborn is here at the end, that a simple muggleborn witch will be your final undoing?"

She kicked the frail body at her feet and sent him flying further down the hall. He had no strength it seemed at all in his unnatural body. He relied too much on his magic. She followed him slowly, his groans of pain music to her ears.

She bent down and grasped his throat with one hand and pressed his shuddering form against the wall. She was shorter than him but she could see that she intimidated him none the less.

"Not quite what you imagined happening, is it?" she mocked. "No grand battle, staged for the world to see. No army of followers, watching your every move as you finally destroy the boy-who-lived. No grand celebration to mark your victory. I bet that it burns to know that a creature that you feel is so very far beneath yourself will be your ultimate undoing."

She tightened her grip and she heard the tell tale gurgle in his throat as he struggled for air. She flashed her fangs and let him drop to the floor, gasping for air. She paced away gathering her strength. She didn't want his tainted blood upon her lips. She would finish him with her wand.

She was waiting for word from Draco and then she would end it but she hadn't counted on Voldemort recovering enough to try and curse her. She dodged the spell easily but he caught her with the second one.

"Imperio."

Her mind clouded as he tried to command her, tried to order her to cease her attack. She stopped and lowered her wand as her mind screamed in resistance. Her head ached as he redoubled his efforts. She found her feet moving of their own volition toward her worst nightmare.

She fought his control, her fevered struggle heightened when she got the message that Nagini was dead. It was done. All his horcruxes were gone. She needed to act and end this. But she was a puppet, held on a string controlled by a madman.

"Come to me," he bid. "Come join your master, pet. With you by my side, there is no way that I will lose. Harry Potter is dead and there is nothing to stand in my way."

Hermione's eyes were locked on the horror in front of her, disgusted by the thoughts in his head, thoughts of them being together sexually. Thoughts of how he could bring the world to its knees. He could use her to create an army of vampires, all of which would be hers to command and in turn be his to control since her had her under his control.

So lost in his thoughts of total world domination, he didn't see what Hermione saw behind him. Harry was moving. He was alive and sitting up. He took one look at her and got to his feet.

"You forgot one thing, snake face," he called. "You forgot about me."

Hermione watched as Voldemort's face paled. Which was a feat considering her was bone white to begin with.

"What kind of witchcraft is this?" he bellowed. "I killed you. How is it every time I kill you, you seem to rise once more?"

"You didn't kill me," Harry said defiantly. "You killed you."

A look of understanding lit Voldemort's twisted features. "I see you understand," Harry continued. "You see, that night that you killed my parents, you put a piece of yourself into me making me your seventh horcrux."

Harry paused for a moment, letting the statement sink in. He twirled his wand in his fingers nimbly as Hermione waited with baited breath. She was almost herself once more, Voldemort's control over her waning as Harry distracted him.

"Yes, Tom," Harry continued finally. "We know all about your horcruxes. And they are all gone." Harry reached up and tapped the side of his skull. "Every last one of them. You are not invincible and this time, you will die."

Voldemort raised his wand and sent a curse at her friend. Harry blocked it and they moved fluidly as each one of them tried to gain the upper hand. Hermione winced as the fiend commanded her once more. He commanded her to kill Harry.

She sent out a silent plea to her mate as she struggled against the command. Draco could override his influence. As her maker, Draco's hold over her was absolute. She walked stealthily into the duel, all the while struggling against Voldemort's tight grip on her mind.

She nearly wept as she felt the strong arms of her mate wrap around her. "As you maker," he muttered into her ear. "I command you to throw off his curse. I command you to come back to yourself."

She was nearly blinded by pain as she struggled to obey. She was thankful that Draco had come when she called out to him. She would have never been able to live with herself if she had been the one to kill Harry. Granted that he would have come back, but not as human. She would have found a way to end herself if that had happened.

She pushed the beast out of her mind just as Harry and Voldemort's wands connected in a blinding beam of light. She watched as each man held on for dear life as power surged back and forth between the two. She drew her wand to finish Voldemort while he was distracted by Harry.

"No," Draco said as he held her steady. "He's come this far, love. Let him finish it."

Hermione put her wand away and watched her best friend battle the darkest wizard of all time. She was filled with pride. He was so strong. So good and so kind. He deserved to know peace and happiness. Her eyes followed a bright ball of light as it traveled from Harry's wand and into the white bone of Voldemort's wand.

Her ears hurt as the man uttered a shrill scream, his fingers turning into ashes. He seemed to disintegrate before their very eyes, his body just dematerializing before them. His scream died in his throat as his body was engulfed and fell away into a pile of dust on the floor. The only thing left was the white handle of his wand jutting out from the pile grime.

"Harry," she cried out as her friend collapsed upon the floor. She raced over to him hoping that he was alright, hoping that he was just exhausted from expending so much energy. Hoping that he would be okay.

End Note: So, how do you think things will turn out? Answers will be given on Christmas Eve. I know it will be a day early, but consider it my gift to you. Besides, I know I'll be busy on Christmas and I'm sure that most of you will be as well. See you Monday...


	48. Epilogue

A/N: So... this is it. I do hope you all enjoyed the ride as I really enjoyed writing it.

Epilogue

Hermione looked into the eyes of her mate once more as they stood in the Weasley's front yard. He gave her a sense of serenity that she desperately needed. It had been a long and harrowing day. Today they were saying goodbye. It had been a three ring circus around England the day that Harry finished Voldemort.

People couldn't quite comprehend that he was gone for good. Then there was the aftermath of Harry's duel. He'd expended too much energy, sapping his core to the point that his body could no longer sustain his life. It was her worst fear. He'd survived the killing curse for a second time. He'd been victorious in his duel and killed the evilest wizard that the world had ever known. It was unfair that he would die after all of that.

She was thankful that she'd given him her blood. He wouldn't be human any longer but he wasn't gone forever. They'd endured an absolute shit storm in the days following as Harry's death was announced to the world. Then his reawakening.

Hermione and Draco were forced to come out of the vampire closet so-to-speak. It hadn't been a pleasant experience to say the least. The population was divided on how they should be treated. Some argued that they were heroes and should be lauded for their courage. Others wanted them exterminated for what they were, citing that they were too dangerous to be allowed to live.

It had been Harry himself who had put his foot down. Even though he was a vampire, the wizarding world still listened to him. He had led them out of the dark. He'd sacrificed everything for them. He'd given up his humanity for them.

He'd held a press conference and explained the entire situation to the masses. He explained that without the two of them, they would have never been able to defeat Voldemort, that their unique abilities were the deciding factor in his eventual defeat. He reminded them if Hermione hadn't given him the gift of her blood that he wouldn't be standing there in front of them. He concluded by telling him that he was thankful for his second chance at life.

Things died down a little after that but Hermione still felt the need to get away for a while. And so did Draco. After a highly publicized trail, Lucius had been sentenced to ten years in Azkaban for his crimes with an additional sentence of five years of house arrest to follow that. Narcissa had been pardoned for her help to the Order in organizing the final attack on Voldemort's forces. Hermione knew that the trials had been draining to her mate. He needed a break as much as she did.

Hermione blinked her eyes and returned to the present. She watched as Harry carefully hugged Molly goodbye and shook Arthur's hand. He needed a break more than both her and Draco combined. He was new after all. He'd been disappointed and happy at the same time to learn that Ginny wasn't his mate. He liked her but he didn't want this life for her.

Hermione patted her friend's back gently as he looked up at Ginny's window, regret etched into his features. "She's out there, Harry," she assured him as they prepared to apparate. "You have forever to find her. And once you do, she'll be your perfect match. Just be happy that it wasn't Delores Umbridge."

Harry shuddered under her fingers. "I would have found a way to off myself," he retorted. "There's no way that I would have been able to endure that."

Harry had been scared to go to the trial. He would have stayed away entirely if they hadn't subpoenaed him to testify. He was a mess the whole day, terrified that he would feel the pull with her. It was an ill-conceived worry. She repulsed him just as much as before.

"Let's go," Hermione said as she turned to Draco and linked her hand with his. "The world awaits."

Draco smiled and turned and linked his hand with Harry's. "Don't worry Potter," he drawled. "We'll try to keep it down, wouldn't want to offend your virgin ears. Besides, there are many tricks that I know that I will personally enjoy teaching you, since I am technically your Grandfather."

"No you won't," Hermione cut it. "I will not allow you to corrupt my child. Harry is good and he will stay that way."

Draco turned his smirk at her. "You forget, my sweet mate," he purred. "That you have to do what I say. You're mine and that makes Harry mine as well."

Hermione didn't get the chance to respond before she was pulled into the dark abyss by Draco as he apparated the three of them to the other side of the world. She would set him straight as soon as they landed.

Maybe.

~~~FIN~~~

End note: So... please let me know what you thought of the end. Personally, I thought it was a rather cute ending to a very dark story. Merry Christmas to those of you that celebrate. I hope everyone has a wonderful day.


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